Construction of the first phase of the Samalaju Port in Bintulu town in Sarawak, Malaysia, has been awarded to Muhibbah Engineering (M) Bhd by project developer and owner Bintulu Port Holdings.
In a statement to Bursa Malaysia, Muhibbah Engineering said the RM157-million (US$48.3 million) contract involves the design, construction, and completion of the conveyor system package of the first phase of the project.
The contractor added that construction will begin once it receives the notice to commence works. Projected timeframe for completion of the undertaking is within 22 months.
The Samalaju port is being developed to serve industries located in the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy, one of Malaysia’s five economic growth corridors.
The Sarawak state earlier approved the release of $164.5 million to finance dredging works at the state port, which are expected to start this year and last for two years.
The sea port will sit on 450 hectares of land and be about 60 kilometers by road from Bintulu town. It will handle the import of raw materials and the export of finished products for energy-intensive industries in the Samalaju enclave.
The development will include the construction of four wharves for handymax and one wharf for handysize bulkers. One of the handymax wharves will be 250 meters long, while the other three will be 210 meters in length. These wharves will be able to manage vessels up to 50,000 tonnes. The handysize wharf will be 230 meters long and manage vessels up to 20,000 tonnes.
The wharves are expected to be completed in 2016 with an annual cargo-handling capacity of 18 million tonnes, with a plan to eventually increase the port’s capacity to 30 million tonnes each year.
Photo: Tangoev9999
