RM30 Million Invested in Port Senari for Navigation Safety and Efficiency

KUCHING: A Vessel Traffic Management System (VTMS) will be operational at Port Senari from May this year.

In a statement yesterday, Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Unggah Embas announced that the RM30 million investments will ensure safety and efficiency of navigation at the port. The system has been installed and is ready to use.

“With the VTMS, we can see as far as 40 kilometres into the sea from the shore. It will assist us in managing incoming vessel entry,” said Unggah.

He added that the system will provide real-time information on essential navigational conditions and coordinate and monitor overall vessel traffic to ensure navigational safety.

Unggah recently visited the site of the port vehicle yard and its associated facilities nearby.

He said that the yard was for Roro ships (ships transporting vehicles) coming to the state and upon arrival, the ships will berth at Kuching Port Authority wharf.

However, he also stated that the Sejingkat bridge near Senari Port is under construction and once completed, Roro vessels can no longer travel up to Pending.

The contractor is expected to complete the vehicle yard by July 2024, ahead of the stitching process in September 2024.

The construction of the new vehicle yard, which costs RM56.9 million and can accommodate 5,000 units of vehicles, is currently four percent ahead of schedule.

In addition to the vehicle yard, Unggah also visited the Sejingkat bridge project. The construction of the RM365.7 million bridge is 12 per cent ahead of schedule and is expected to be completed in June 2025.

“So far its construction progress is satisfactory, but we would like to speed up its delivery date,” he said.

He emphasised that the project must be completed on time.