KUANTAN: The Pahang government is looking to expand direct shipping services to Sabah and Sarawak beyond wheeled vehicles to include containers, in a move to reduce logistics costs for businesses.
State Investment, Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation Committee chairman Datuk Mohd Nizar Najib said the first roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) vessel carrying 17 vehicles departed Kuantan Port on Oct 19 and arrived at Kuching Port in less than 48 hours.
The service marked the revival of direct shipping links between Kuantan and East Malaysia, decades after the now-defunct Feri Muhibbah ended operations about 30 years ago.
"For the first time since the ferry service ended, we have a shipping operator, Konsortium Perkapalan Timur, transporting vehicles directly from Kuantan to ports in East Malaysia. I was told the company would deliver 300 vehicles this week," he told reporters after opening Pahang Export Day 2026 here today.
Nizar said automotive companies in Pahang currently relied on lorries to transport vehicles to Port Klang before shipping them to Sabah and Sarawak, a journey that takes between four and six days.
"The RoRo service takes only one day and 19 hours," he said.
Also present was Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade) chief executive officer Datuk Indera Abu Bakar Yusof.
Feri Muhibbah was the country's largest cruise ferry and operated between 1986 and 1989, linking Kuantan Port with Sabah and Sarawak. It could carry up to 1,000 passengers, along with vehicles.
Nizar said he hoped the shipping operator would eventually expand its services to include container shipments, as businesses in Kuantan and Pekan still relied on Port Klang to transport their goods.
"Businesses should leverage Kuantan Port to ship goods to Sabah and Sarawak, potentially reducing logistics costs and delivery times by making better use of the facilities available in Pahang," he said.
He said the state government aimed to develop Kuantan Port into a world-class facility, with the long-term ambition of placing it among the world's top 10 ports.
"To achieve this, export volumes through Kuantan Port must increase, and exporters across the east coast should be encouraged to use the facility," he said.
In his speech earlier, Nizar said the Pahang government planned to strengthen trade ties with Sarawak by expanding two-way trade cooperation.
He said both states would explore opportunities for small and medium enterprises to trade their products, including Pahang's ikan patin and sambal hitam, while Sarawak could supply products such as salted terubuk fish and kek lapis to Pahang.
"This would encourage more local businesses to explore markets beyond their home states. We might explore energy exports," he said.
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