KUCHING (Aug 2): Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah is currently leading a delegation on a five-day study tour to two Japanese ports to learn about their management and operation systems.

The study tour, which began on Monday, will also see them learning about road technology management of Chiba Prefecture.

Uggah who is also the Minister of Infrastructure and Port Development, is joined by his deputy ministers Dato Majang Renggi and Ir. Aidel Lariwoo, the ministry’s Permanent Secretary Chiew Chee Yaw, the director of Sarawak Economic Planning Unit (EPU) Lester Matthew and members of the board of directors from Samalaju Port Authority including Murum assemblyman Kennedy Chukpai Ugon.

Upon their arrival in Tokyo, Uggah and his delegation engaged in a bilateral discussion with Japanese Port Industry players and current investor in Samalaju Port in Bintulu, Sarawak.

The discussion centred on stakeholder’s observations and recommendations to further enhance port’s efficiency at the Samalaju Port.

The delegation was also invited by the Ports and Harbours Bureau, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) to visit the Port of Onahama, located about 200 kilometres from Tokyo in the coast of Iwaki-shi in Fukushima Prefecture.

The port, which faces the Pacific Ocean, is a multipurpose port with several breakwaters. Its operations include handling dry and liquid bulk, containers, machinery, Ro-Ro, forest products, as well as providing berthing space for fishing vessels and a marina.

During the visit, Uggah and his delegation received a comprehensive briefing and exchanged ideas with representatives from MLIT and OHBT Corporation Japan (port operator at the Port of Onahama) on their port operations, new technologies, and business model practices between the private sector and public sector (Fukushima Prefecture).

In 2022, the Port of Onahama handled approximately 16.09 million tonnes of cargo, a figure that remained largely unchanged from the previous year at 16.22 million tonnes (down 0.8 per cent year-old year (YoY)).

Today, the delegation is set to visit the Port of Yokohama in Kanagawa Prefecture as part of their itinerary.