Shipping company says Port Klang Authority unfairly tarred its reputation

KUALA LUMPUR – The Port Klang Authority has been accused of taking “misleading” actions that have caused the image of a shipping company to be affected.

Expressing his disappointment, the chief executive officer of Maritime Network Sdn Bhd, Datuk Seri R Jeyendran, said that PKA claimed that his company had neglected safety issues by allowing a large ship to dock at the port.

According to him, the action was actually only made after Maritime Network obtained written permission from PKA.

“The large-sized ship belonging to Maritime Network’s customer is anchored because we have obtained the written permission of PKA.

“Now the PKA claims that we are ignoring the level of security and violating the rules made. What exactly is right now?” he said when contacted for comment by Getaran, The Vibes’ Bahasa Malaysia sister portal.

“Why are we being blamed when written permission has been obtained?”

Jeyendran explained that Maritime Network, which has existed for over twenty years in the country, has never violated any shipping regulations, and instead undertaken all matters transparently and openly.

“When PKA accuses us of breaking the rules, it affects the company’s reputation because the statement contains elements of defamation,” he alleged.

He stressed that PKA needs to give a comprehensive explanation, including on the written permission given to Maritime Network earlier, so that such things do not happen again in the future.

“The allegation of the PKA was made after I publicly claimed that the PKA was sluggish and requested the intervention of Transport Minister Anthony Loke,” he said.

Previously, Jeyendran had issued a statement urging PKA to be more professional when dealing with customers.

This came in the wake of the port authority’s supposed failure to communicate well, in relation to an email sent by Maritime Network on October 16 that he had said was left unanswered.

The email had reportedly expressed concern about the safety and suitability of docking areas due to maintenance works at Port Klang.

“We are asking for good service from PKA, to provide the best timetable for ships to dock for a period of three months. Unfortunately, there was no response received even though we had been waiting for several days,” he said.

Jeyendran’s claim was denied by PKA, whose spokesman said they had extended the matter to Northport so that all the necessary details can be taken from Maritime Network, including the expected depth of the ship to prepare a tide/ebb schedule within three months.

According to PKA, the tide table is usually given to agents a week in advance, not three months as requested by Maritime Network.

However, this response from PKA is unacceptable to Jeyendran, who claimed that the board was trying to make excuses.

“When this issue was published in the media, only then did they give me an answer, or more precisely, 30 minutes after this matter was published.

“This failure of communication is very worrying because it is closely related to the safety aspects of ships and ports,” he said.

Getaran is trying to get a response from PKA regarding this matter but has yet to obtain one at press time. – The Vibes, October 22, 2023