Malaysia has a vibrant and dynamic transportation and logistics segment. One of the main areas of this sector is in shipping. Under the purview of the Ministry of Transport of Malaysia, shipping involves several areas like cruise shipping, cargo and ferry services and ship registry. The shipping industry here is made up of shipowners of registered vessels in Malaysia which is represented by the Malaysia Shipowners Association.
The Marine Department of Malaysia coordinates and manages the ship registry for international and local operators. They manage the 5 main shipping ports of the country which are:
- Pulau Pinang
- Port Klang
- Labuan (for international registration or MISR)
- Sabah
- Sarawak.
Tourism and shipping
The tourism industry in Malaysia is one of the major segments that boost the country’s GDP. Besides 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic occurred, tourism has been contributing positively to the country’s economy. Cruise tourism is one of the few segments which have been highly active and often a preferred mode of tourism among both local and foreign travelers. Malaysia has 6 very popular stopovers for cruise tourism namely:
- Kota Kinabalu, Sabah – 12 wharves
- Kuching, Sarawak – 6 wharves
- Swettenham Pier Cruise Terminal, Penang – 4 wharves
- Star Cruises Jetty, Langkawi – 2 wharves
- Boustead Cruise Centre, Port Klang – 3 wharves
- Malacca – 2 wharves
Among them, the Swettenham Pier Cruise Terminal has the highest stopovers where it recorded more than 130 stopovers almost every year. Port Klang also records more than a hundred stopovers annually. The wharves that operate in these ports come in different sizes and lengths, offering various types of vessels and ships to port.
