Where can our cargo go after it leaves ports, asks freight forwarding industry

Ten of thousands of non-essential cargo goods will be allowed to be transported out of the Klang Port, the Penang Port and the Johor Port in Pasir Gudang between March 27 and 29.

This comes after the containers were stranded due to the movement control order (MCO). The MCO was seen to have blocked the operation of the ports in handling essential goods.

However, can industry players breathe a sigh of relief now given that they can transport their cargo to their end-destinations? Not yet.

For both logistics transporters and importers, they want to know where they can unload their cargo in the future when there is a lockdown and a bar on non-essential services.

"There was a rush at Port Klang which saw trucks queueing up to clear the cargo for up to four kilometres," said Alvin Chua, the president of Federation of Malaysian Freight Forwarders (FMFF).

"But it is a bit unclear here, the Transport Ministry said the logistics companies can move for now but our customers, importers or manufacturers are asking if they can open their factories to receive the goods?

"I told them I have no answer for that," he said.

He then pointed to the government for the lack of coordination.

According to him, the cabinet should have come out with a decision to allow manufacturers to receive their goods.

He urged the International Trade and Industry Ministry to follow up on the matter and allow manufacturers to operate and receive the cargo until March 29.

"Approximately 70 percent of cargo at the port are non-essential goods, comprising building material, chemicals and steel bars," he added.

He said action would be taken by police if manufacturers of non-essential services defy the MCO.

On March 26, the government allowed the logistics industry to transport their goods out of Klang Port, Penang Port and Johor Port in Pasir Gudang.

According to Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong, the three ports have neared 100 percent capacity following the cessation of the transferring goods to storage warehouses prior to being sent to their final destinations.

Chua also pointed out that non-essential goods stuck at the container ports and air freight at airports should also be allowed to clear as they were stacking up.

Malaysiakini had reported that containers in Port Klang were stacking up due to the MCO limiting the transport of non-essential goods.

The situation led to a warning by the FMFF that this was a potential "time bomb" affecting port efficiency and capacity.

The FMFF also called on the government to clarify if logistics services were considered essential services after freight forwarders complained about contradictory instructions by different government ministries following the announcement of the MCO. - Mkini