Duty-free shops to open doors in June, says Penang Port chief

Duty-free shops at Swettenham Pier Cruise Terminal are slated for completion in June, as this is one of the first priorities of newly minted Penang Port Commission chairperson Jeffrey Chew Gim Ean.

"It's developing well but of course there are challenges, for example, space constraints, which we will address," he told Malaysiakini at his office in Swettenham Pier.

Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng made the announcement in November last year when he tabled the budget, saying the terminal would undergo a RM155 million expansion this year.

"You can see this materialise by June. The setting up of a duty-free shop is an achievement by itself," Chew said.

" The Ministry of Finance (MOF) and Ministry of Transport (MOT) are pushing very hard for this to happen, so we will make it happen," he added.

The announcement had been lauded by Penang Tourism exco Yeoh Soon Hin, who described the plan as" icing on the cake", as duty-free shops would encourage tourists to spend their money, spurring the local economy.

Chew, the former deputy general manager of the Penang Development Corporation says he is committed to restoring the port to its glory days.

Chew, 51, is the first Penang Port Commission chairperson under the Pakatan Harapan government, as the post was previously occupied by MCA political appointees.

Chew said the type of duty-free business planned for Penang at the Port Terminal is similar to the ones found in international airports but on a smaller scale.

"This duty-free is not to sell millions of things, but sell products which are only really duty-free and not found on boats. This is considered Phase I.

"Phase II is still in the planning stages but we have to start the ball rolling," he added.

Chew noted that there is already a commercial zone in Butterworth, which brings in 70 percent of materials from Thailand.

Aside from the duty-free shops, the expansion announced by Lim will see the current port expanding its capability so that it can receive two mega-sized cruise ships simultaneously on the outer berths, while the inner berths would hold two ships, one small and another medium-sized.

It was reported last year that the plan will see the joint venture project between Penang Port Sdn Bhd (60 percent) and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (40 percent) and it’s expected to bring in 1.7 million passengers a year by 2021. - Mkini