YESTERDAY marked the official launching of the Muara Port Company Sdn Bhd. It was officiated by Dato Paduka Dr Awang Haji Mohd Amin Liew bin Abdullah, Deputy Minister of Finance who is also the CEO of Darussalam Assets Sdn Bhd, and Zhou Xiaoxi, Chairman of Guangxi Beibu Gulf Port Group. The Muara Port Company Sdn Bhd has been appointed as the operator of Muara Container Terminal (MCT).
Also present during the ceremony was Yang Jian, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Brunei Darussalam; Zhu Rong, Director of Chinese Economic and Commercial Counsellor’s Office in Brunei Darussalam; Ahmaddin bin Haji Abdul Rahman, Permanent Secretary (Performance) at the Ministry of Finance; Haji Khairuddin bin Haji Abdul Hamid, Deputy Permanent Secretary (Investment) at the Ministry of Finance; Datin Paduka Magdalene Chong, General Counsel and Chief Operating Officer of Darussalam Assets; Ainadin Cader, Chief Investment Officer of Darussalam Assets; Zhou Yan, CEO of Muara Port Company Sdn Bhd; and management groups from both sides.
The establishment of Muara Port Company Sdn Bhd is the product of close collaboration between Darussalam Assets and Beibu Gulf Port since the signing of the Key Term Sheet on September 12, 2016, at the China-Asean Expo in Nanning, China.
This was done with great support and assistance from the FDI & Downstream Industries Steering Committee, FDI Action and Support Centre (FAST), Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB), Energy and Industry Department at the Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Communications, Ports Department and other government agencies.
The signing of Shareholders’ Agreement between Dato Paduka Dr Awang Haji Mohd Amin Liew bin Abdullah, Deputy Minister of Finance who is also the CEO of Darussalam Assets Sdn Bhd; Zhou Xiaoxi, Chairman of Guangxi Beibu Gulf Port Group; Haji Khairuddin bin Haji Abdul Hamid, Deputy Permanent Secretary (Investment) at the Ministry of Finance; and Zhou Yan, CEO of Muara Port Company Sdn Bhd, as witnessed by Yang Jian, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Brunei Darussalam and other officials.
In the immediate future, Muara Port Company Sdn Bhd will be making significant investments to upgrade the port facilities and equipment with the objective of improving MCT’s efficiency and level of service, which is in line with the government’s Ease of Doing Business objectives.
The company will also be exploring the opening of new shipping routes, the enlargement of logistic networks and increase the transit volume of Muara Port through the expertise and network of Guangxi Beibu Gulf Port Group.
In the long run, Darussalam Assets and Guangxi Beibu Gulf will be embarking on other opportunities of collaboration. The successful realisation of these collaboration opportunities will lead to Muara Port being a regional shipping centre and a transit hub in the Southeast Asia region in the future.
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