Sabah clears 24-hour Sepanggar port operations, rollout awaits readiness
The port’s expansion is 68.1 % complete and is expected to be finished by October 2027, according to Datuk Ewon Benedick.
Sepanggar Bay Container Port (SBCP) has received Sabah Cabinet approval to run 24 hours to tackle logistics congestion. Implementation, however, remains subject to businesses and government bodies being ready, Deputy Chief Minister III Datuk Ewon Benedick said.
Ewon, whose ministerial responsibilities include industrial development, entrepreneurship and transport, said most local factories and depots could not yet operate continuously. Some stop work as early as 5pm, requiring coordination throughout the supply chain before the port’s extended hours can be implemented.
A task force chaired by Ewon meets each month, bringing together shipping industry representatives and government agencies to oversee 10 interim action plans. Among the measures is temporary parking for trailers within Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park (KKIP). He put progress on SBCP’s physical expansion at 68.1 %, with completion expected by October 2027.
Ewon said container throughput at Sabah Ports Sdn Bhd rose 6.07% in 2025 to 532,391 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU). Of that volume, 396,964 TEU, or 74.6%, passed through SBCP.
For longer-term transport planning, Ewon said his ministry had finalised terms of reference for the Sabah Integrated Transport and Logistics Master Plan. Its scope spans air, maritime and land transport, backed by a RM500.1 million development ceiling under the 13th Malaysia Plan.
