PETALING JAYA: The Transport Ministry will allow freight forwarders and hauliers another four days to expedite movement of cargo from congested ports nationwide starting tomorrow (April 4).
This was agreed upon after consultation with the National Security Council, said Transport Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong in a statement today.
“Companies whose goods are stored at Port Klang, ports in Johor, Penang, Kuantan, Melaka, Bintulu, Sarawak and Padang Besar bordering Thailand are advised to move their goods out of those ports from Saturday, 4 April 2020 to Tuesday, 7 April,“ he said.
He also said this follows an earlier decision announced on March 26 which had proven effective in greatly reducing near 100% congestion at major ports nationwide.
To ensure the smooth and continued flow of much-needed daily essentials for households, Wee said these port clearing exercises has been proven necessary from time to time to allow essentials good to be delivered unhampered to the communities that need them in the second phase of the Movement Control Order (MCO).
“Based on the positive response shown by the Ministry’s allowance to federal ports, state-owned ports including those in Sabah and Sarawak have proceeded to allow companies to expedite their goods out of their respective ports to reduce congestion and ensure essential goods reach their intended destinations,“ he said.
He also said following the amendments to the Regulations no. 2, port, dock and airport services and undertakings, and transportation by land, water, or air constitute essential services.
This means that any activity and process in the supply chain of port, dock and airport services and transportation by land, water or air are also deemed as essential services.
For further information, please contact Transport Ministry officers at aduan@mot.gov.my, 019-2907723 (WhatsApp), 1-800-88-7723 HOTLINE (8am-8pm), or log on to cccovid19.mot.gov.my.
