Hauliers mull imposing Port Waiting Surcharge on consignees

The Senari port operations suffered a computer system outage due to water damage.

KUCHING (April 29): Hauliers here are contemplating charging consignees Port Waiting Surcharge (PWS) on containers passing through Senari Port.

Sarawak Forwarding Agencies Association (SFAA) said in a statement yesterday the PWS is to cover the cost of their equipment forced to remain idle because of the congestions at port.

“SFAA wishes to inform our customers that we have been given to understand that consequential to the inadequacies and weaknesses of Kuching Port Authority (KPA), local hauliers would be imposing a Port Waiting Surcharge.

“SFAA also wishes to alert the authorities and the state government that other parties in the logistics community may come up with other similar charges, as a consequence of the failure of Senari Port,” said SFAA president Joseph Chung.

SFAA refuted claims that Senari Port’s container operation has normalised.

Chung said the Senari Port computer server outage since March 27, 2021 had seriously crippled the container operation unit for the past weeks.

“Port daily container retrieval rates dropped below 30 per cent during the first few days in the aftermath.

“With the temporary contingency operational plan initiated by Kuching Port Authority, there is a semblance of organisation but far from normalisation.”

Chung added that the long queues were not due to hauliers ‘bunching up’ (arrival at Port simultaneously by trucks from various hauliers) as often claimed by KPA but due the shortage and poor reliability of equipment at the port.

“The computer glitch has exposed not only the lack of contingency plan for a critical service in the state, it also exposed the intrinsic lack of proper functional port equipment and facilities to cope with the fast-growing domestic import and export businesses as well as the Samajaya Free Industrial Zone corporations,” he said.

He cautioned that without serious revamp, despite the restoration of the Port computer system, the inherent roots of Senari Port’s malaise will continue to plague the supply chains.

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