MIRI: The Miri Port Authority is constructing a new berthing terminal to cater to strong demand and improve operation efficiency at the port.
Work on the terminal located on the opposite side of the river is scheduled for completion by June next year.
Upon completion, all vessels engaged in the oil and gas industry would berth at the new terminal, said Transport Minister Datuk Lee Kim Shin.
Lee said this after visiting the Shin Yang and Sarimas wharves here.
He was accompanied by ministry officials and officers from the Sarawak Rivers Board.
The delegation was briefed by the general manager of Miri Port, Serawa Budol, on the operations at the port.
The two wharves at the port handle about 1,000 containers a month.
The Sarimas wharf is mostly used by the oil and gas workers of four oil and gas companies, namely Petronas Carigali, Shell, Nippon Oil and another oil and gas contractor.
Serawa said, on the average, about 2,000 oil and gas workers used the wharf daily.
He said that Miri Port handled a heavy river traffic, especially work boats and other categories used in the oil and gas industries.
He pointed out that certain sections of the wharf had three to four boats berthing next to each other.
“Therefore, to resolve this situation, the port is constructing a new terminal as a long term solution,” said Serawa.
Lee urged the Sarawak Rivers Board to monitor the Miri River traffic closely and put up more navigation aids to facilitate riverine traffic.
