Sapangar Port Expansion Expected To Be Completed By October 2027
KOTA KINABALU, July 22 (Bernama) -- The Sapangar Bay Container Port (SBCP) expansion project has reached 62.75 per cent completion as of June and is now expected to be completed by October 2027 following delays caused by difficulty in securing sand supply that meets specifications.
Sabah Deputy Chief Minister III Datuk Ewon Benedick said the sand could only be sourced from about 10 kilometres away before it must undergo a cleaning process before being transported back to the project site for land reclamation works.
“I can summarise that the delay was due to the sand supply. Imagine this: the sand is taken from a site 10 kilometres away, transported for cleaning, and then carried another 10 kilometres for reclamation works at the port expansion site,” he said when winding up the debate on the Sabah Ports Authority (Amendment) Bill 2026 at the Sabah State Legislative Assembly here today.
Ewon, who is also the Sabah Minister of Industrial Development, Entrepreneurship and Transport, said he has met with the WCT-CCCC consortium, the main contractor for the expansion, to convey the state government's concerns and discuss measures to improve the project's implementation.
He said the consortium assured the state government that at least 1.6 hectares of the project area would be handed over for use as a temporary container storage yard while awaiting the total completion of the expansion project.
Meanwhile, Ewon said the increase in direct shipping services from foreign ports to Sapangar has also contributed to congestion at the port, driven by growing investment and exports activities in Sabah.
He said this development is a positive indicator of the state's economic activity, with more companies in industrial areas producing goods for export through the port.
Ewon added that port-related issues should be addressed as part of the broader industrial ecosystem, including ensuring that depots, logistics companies, and destinations receiving the containers also were also operational at night.
He said the Sabah government is still awaiting the decision from the Royal Malaysian Customs Department on its application to have SBCP gazetted for 24-hour operations.
According to him, his ministry will also review the Port Master Plan and conduct engagement sessions with all relevant stakeholders, including State Legislative Assembly members, the port operators, and industry associations.
In addition, two new quay cranes are currently being installed at Tawau Port and are expected to be begin operations early next month.
-- BERNAMA