Malaysia–China joint venture awarded contract to deepen Miri port shipping channel

A MALAYSIAN–CHINESE joint venture between Rimbun Prima Sdn Bhd and China Communications Construction Company (M) Sdn Bhd has been awarded the RM238 million contract to dredge the Kuala Baram delta and deepen the shipping channel to the Miri port terminal.

The associated works in the three-year contract include the construction of 12km of training bunds, 6km on each side.

A “training bund” is a structure used in river engineering and coastal management to control and direct the flow of water in rivers, estuaries and coastal areas.

They help in maintaining a desired channel alignment and improving navigation by preventing the river or water body from changing its course.

The type of bund proposed in the contract is the “guide bund” – long, narrow embankments constructed parallel to the river to guide the flow of water and prevent it from spreading laterally.

With the bunds, the Miri Port Authority (MPA) believe the water depth of the shipping channel could be about 25m, the limit of draft for all types of ships.

Currently at low tide, the depth of the access channel at the delta is about 0.7m ACD (actual chart datum).

At high tide, it is only 3m ACD thus restricting deeper drafted vessels of more than 3m to call at the Miri Port terminal.

“Actual chart datum” is the specific reference point used in a given area to measure and represent underwater depths on nautical charts, providing a standardized baseline for safe navigation.

MPA chairman Paulus Palu Gumbang said the shallow access channel had caused severe navigational safety hazards in the Kuala Baram delta.

There have been incidents where vessels have run aground there, he said at the signing of the dredging contract in Kuching today.

The limitations experienced by the Miri port, Gumbang added, had caused double handling costs, vessels delay as the turnaround time is longer.

This had led to unreliable shipping schedules, he said.

MPA, which considers the project to deepen the access channel as crucial, believes a deeper access channel would make Miri port realise its designed capacity of handling 3.5 million tonnes of cargo per annum.

Secondary benefits would be an increase in the utilisation of land bank facilities at Kuala Baram and divert commercial shipping from the Miri River.

Gumbang said the shallow access channel to the Miri port terminal at Kuala Baram delta had stifled the growth of industries operating at the Kuala Baram industrial estate.

MPA reportedly had been planning this dredging work since the port was built in 1996. – June 18, 2024.