Tan (third left) submits the request to Masing, while (from left) KCGCCI chairman (Digital Economy Committee) Rodger Chan, secretary-general Jonathan Chai, vice-presidents Kuek Eng Mong and Dennis Chin and KPA director Milton Foo look on.
KUCHING (Apr 24): The Kuching Chinese General Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCGCCI) is urging the state government to intervene in the imposition of congestion surcharge by shipping companies.
In a statement yesterday, the chamber said at a meeting with Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Jemut Masing, who is Minister of Infrastructure and Ports Development, recently, led by its president Dato Tan Jit Kee, the former had agreed to direct his ministry to convene a roundtable meeting and invite all the stakeholders to discuss and find ways to resolve the issue.
The chamber deemed that the congestion surcharge was ‘arbitrarily and unfairly imposed’ by the shipping companies.
Aside from KCGCCI, the stakeholders to be involved in the meeting include Kuching Port Authority (KPA), shipping companies and forwarding agencies.
“The port users have been given to understand by the shipping companies that their operational costs were escalated by the ongoing congestion at Senari Terminal recently due to the computer outage at KPA which has led to significant delay to the turnaround time of their vessels and also the delivery of containers.
“It would be grossly unfair for the shipping companies to pass on their perceived losses to the port users and the business community at large who have played no part and are not responsible for the delay in container delivery or congestion of the port,” the chamber said.
Meanwhile, KCGCCI is of the view that new and additional quay cranes must be acquired and installed by KPA soonest possible to smoothen and increase the efficiency of loading and unloading of containers.
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