Malaysia-listed Suria Capital Holdings Bhd will start port and bunkering operation on June 1 in the new Sapangar Bay Container Port (SBCP) in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.
Sabah Port Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Suria, has been developing SBCP to make it a dedicated container hub capable of handling two container vessels of up to 2,500 TEUs at one time.
Sabah Port ,which operates seven port terminals in Sabah (Sandakan, Kota Kinabalu, Kudat, Kunak, Lahad Datu, Sapangar Bay and Tawau) is also expected to invest more than RM1 billion ($295 million) to upgrade facilities and expand its capacity to further enhance its operational efficiency.
Another subsidiary of Suria, SP Satria Logistics, will spearhead the growth of bunkering business for the group in Sabah.
An operational SBCP is expected to boost bunker sales volume in Sabah within the next two years, according to Shaifu Batong, executive director of SP Satria Logistics.
''There's a huge market potential for bunkering in Sabah,'' Batong told Bunkerworld. ''Currently there's no proper bunkering facilities in place but our company is developing that.''
SP Satria Logistics is constructing a 60,000 metric tonnes (mt) onshore storage terminal for petroleum products in Kota Kinabalu port on the west coast and a 30,000 mt terminal in Lahad Datu port on the east coast.
The two oil terminals are expected to be completed by end-2008, said Batong.
The company is currently chartering bunker tankers for the handful of bunker deliveries around Sabah ports. It is now looking to buy two double-hulled bunker tankers of 1,000-2,000 mt in size.
The company moves only about 3,000-4,000 mt of bunkers per month due to low shipping activities.
Approximately 1,200-1,500 ships call at the ports of Sabah each month, mostly palm oil vessels and containerships.
Sabah Port Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Suria, has been developing SBCP to make it a dedicated container hub capable of handling two container vessels of up to 2,500 TEUs at one time.
Sabah Port ,which operates seven port terminals in Sabah (Sandakan, Kota Kinabalu, Kudat, Kunak, Lahad Datu, Sapangar Bay and Tawau) is also expected to invest more than RM1 billion ($295 million) to upgrade facilities and expand its capacity to further enhance its operational efficiency.
Another subsidiary of Suria, SP Satria Logistics, will spearhead the growth of bunkering business for the group in Sabah.
An operational SBCP is expected to boost bunker sales volume in Sabah within the next two years, according to Shaifu Batong, executive director of SP Satria Logistics.
''There's a huge market potential for bunkering in Sabah,'' Batong told Bunkerworld. ''Currently there's no proper bunkering facilities in place but our company is developing that.''
SP Satria Logistics is constructing a 60,000 metric tonnes (mt) onshore storage terminal for petroleum products in Kota Kinabalu port on the west coast and a 30,000 mt terminal in Lahad Datu port on the east coast.
The two oil terminals are expected to be completed by end-2008, said Batong.
The company is currently chartering bunker tankers for the handful of bunker deliveries around Sabah ports. It is now looking to buy two double-hulled bunker tankers of 1,000-2,000 mt in size.
The company moves only about 3,000-4,000 mt of bunkers per month due to low shipping activities.
Approximately 1,200-1,500 ships call at the ports of Sabah each month, mostly palm oil vessels and containerships.