Malaysian News: highways, toll operators, shipping, transit issues, KL integrated transit, auto projects September, 27, 2004 1. Current plans for highway upgrades near the KL area are described. 2.A large percentage of toll operators have not started operations on the concessions they recieved and are not expected to do so for another 5 years. It is unclear how long it is taking for new operations to take effect... 3. Malaysian shipowners feel there are still gaps in security after implementing new security procedures. Want more integration between government, shippers and ports. 4. Transporting fowls on public transit a health problem. People still smuggle the birds onboard, even though illegal. Just a fast article to show some of the differences in problems between US and Malaysia transport issues... 5. Companies not directly involved in integrated KL valley public transit program want their transit systems to have access to the integrated system also. Some stats on monorail also in article. 6. Malaysian government approves many auto related projects, showing how involved government is in auto manufacturing ********************************************* ***1. Description of highway upgrades near KL*** ********************************************* RM960 Mln For Three Traffic Dispersal Projects, Says Samy Vellu KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 27 (Bernama) -- The government is to allocate RM960 million for two traffic dispersal projects at the Seremban-Ayer Keroh and Rawang-Tanjong Malim stretches of the North-South Expressway, the Dewan Rakyat was told Monday. The other was the relocation of the Jelapang toll plaza in Ipoh, Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said. He said work to widen the two stretches is expected to cost more than RM800 million while the toll plaza relocation would incur RM132 million. The three projects, upon completion, would provide more comfort to motorists, especially during festive seasons and school holidays, he told reporters at Parliament lobby. "We're facing a lot of problems as the stretches were designed to cater for 80,000 vehicles then. Now, 160,000 vehicles are using the stretches on normal days, more than 700,000 during weekends and public holidays and 1.2 million during festive seasons," he said. Samy Vellu said the proposal to expand the expressway had been tabled in the Cabinet and was awaiting approval from the Finance Ministry. "I believe the Finance Ministry will give its decision by end of this month or in a week or two. Work will start immediately after that," he said. He said the four-lane expressway would be expanded to six lanes with two emergency lanes. Samy Vellu said relocation of the Jelapang toll plaza would involve construction of four new toll plazas, two tiered-interchanges, toll-free lanes for Ipoh motorists and express lanes for Penang-bound motorists. He, however, said the government would bear only part of the project cost totalling RM264 million, while the rest would be borne by Projek Lebuhraya Utara Selatan (PLUS), the expressway concessionaire. Commenting on the closure of the Sultan Ismail Specialist Hospital in Pandan, near Johor Baharu, after fungus was found on the walls and in some of the clinical equipment, Samy Vellu said it was due to the high humidity inside the building. "As a short-term measure, the Public Works Department has installed heat pumps to reduce the humidity inside the premises," he said. Samy Vellu said he would discuss with Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek to appoint technicians to maintain the air-conditioning system in the hospital identified to be the main cause of the fungus problem. ***************************************** ***2. Slow start for some toll operators*** ***************************************** Only 16 Of 25 Highway Concessionaires Have Started Operations BUTTERWORTH, Sept 27 (Bernama) -- Only 16 out of 25 highway concessionaires have commenced operations, said Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM) Deputy Director-General (Technical) Datuk Ghazali Md Nor Monday. He said the others were expected to begin operations in five years' time. Most of the companies were awarded concessions to operate highways in the Klang Valley, he told reporters after officiating the customer service programme of Konsortium Lebuhraya Butterworth-Kulim Sdn Bhd (KLBK), at the premises of the concession holder for the Butterworth-Kulim Highway here. The five-day programme includes exhibition and promotion of services such as Touch 'n Go and Smart Tag as well as vehicles produced by Hyundai and Eonmobil Sdn Bhd. Ghazali also said the LLM conducted a study last June to get feedback from highway users. "It will be used as the benchmark for concessionaires in managing their respective highways," he said. The acting general manager of KLBK, Abdul Razak Othman, meanwhile said the company would propose to the government that its toll rates be reviewed not every three years but longer so as not to burden highway users. "We will also propose a lower increase," he said. The BKE began operations in 1996 and had only increased its toll rates once in 1999 to 1.5 sen per kilometre for Class I vehicles. -- BERNAMA ************************************************************************ **** ***3. POrts still have further to go in implementing new security procedures*** ************************************************************************ **** http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/BTimes/Monday/Nation/20040927000349/Article / Masa: Address gaps in ISPS implementation WHILE acknowledging the initiatives taken by Malaysian authorities had supported the industry in its efforts towards compliance with the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) code that entered into force in July, the Malaysian Shipowners Association (Masa) feels that there are still some gaps that need to be addressed. “We also acknowledge the efforts of the ports and terminals in Malaysia in ensuring compliance to ISPS code. “However, as an industry, we should have greater coordination and integration between shipowners, port and terminal operators and the authorities,” the association said. Speaking at a seminar in conjunction with the World Maritime Day over the weekend, the chairman of MASA’s technical committee, Ir Nordin Mat Yusof said there are gaps which need to be addressed as an industry to enhance the common goals of ensuring security without compromising on safety. The ISPS code, sanctioned by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), forms the international framework through which ships and port facilities are required to adopt specific security measures and plans against maritime terrorism. The code was implemented on July 1 2004. Nordin said the challenging 18 months towards the implementation that the industry went through taught them that they could overcome any obstacles with structured planning, courage and endurance. “We have charted our course and we will move ahead with confidence,” he said. The code applies to ships engaged on international voyages, including passenger ships, cargo ships (of more than 500 gross tonnage), mobile offshore drilling units and port facilities. The ISPS code requires shipowners to act on the security levels as determined by flag state and also install the Automatic Identification System onboard. The shipping companies must also conduct a Ship Security Assessment to identify threats affecting ship throughout its trade operations. Nordin noted that the implementation of the ISPS code comes with a commercial value since the implementation of the code enhances the company’s reputation within the industry. “Charterers, for example, are concerned with vessel’s implementation status. There is a greater concern among shipowners on the parties that charter their vessels, what their cargoes are and where the cargo finally ends up,” he added. Nordin said, however, the relatively calm atmosphere since the ISPS implementation may not necessarily mean that everything is well and fine. “Being in its infancy stage, there are certainly issues that need to be addressed by parties involved in the industry, be it shipowners, port authorities, flag states or the IMO,” he said. Among the issues he highlighted that are of concern to the industry the difficulty of getting permission to grant shore leave for ship’s crew in certain ports, restriction at certain ports on ship stores and spares and also differences in interpretation of the code. Nordin also said there is a need to re-limit the accessibility to confidential security documents to be maintained onboard. He said at the moment granting of shore leave to crew, especially of specific nationality, to go ashore seem to vary from port to port causing major concern to the industry. “Crew shore leave restriction should be a secondary means of threat mitigation instead of the current primary mean and authorities should also ensure that this is taken into consideration while in the process of approving port facility security assessment and plan,” Nordin added. — PortsWorld *********************************************************** ***4. Transporting fowls on public transit a health problem*** *********************************************************** http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Monday/NewsBreak/20040927165438/Artic le/indexb_html 'Fowl' play on KL-bound bus from Rantau Panjang By Ridzwan Abdullah KOTA BARU, KELANTAN, Mon: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHICKEN are still being transported in Kelantan, despite the stringent measures taken against