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Malaysia holds the position of being Thailand's primary trading partner within the ASEAN region and ranks as the fourth largest trading partner overall. The bilateral trade between these two nations in 2020 amounted to nearly RM80 billion. The seaport in Malaysia has emerged as a preferred hub for exporters from Thailand. Nevertheless, the current cross-border inland port, known as the Padang Besar Inland Port (PBCT), exhibits constraints in its operational capacity. The rapid expansion of the economy in southern Thailand, along with the increasing need for cross-border freight transportation to the nearby Penang seaport in Malaysia, makes the future building of more inland ports across the border an inevitable development. Despite its significance, there is a paucity of detailed studies on inland ports along the Malaysia-Southern Thailand border. Further investigation is necessary to address the recent challenges pertaining to external threats and internal limits faced by cross-border inland ports. This study seeks to explore the present issues faced by the Malaysian cross border inland port and to analyze potential solutions for future development via the application of SWOT and TOWS analysis. The methodology employed in this study encompasses interviews conducted with important stakeholders, on-site observations, and desktop research. A SWOT analysis is conducted on the current cross-border inland port, followed by a proposition of employing a TOWS analysis for future cross-border inland ports. The highlighted findings pertain to major outcomes derived from interviews, on-site observation, and secondary data analysis. The establishment of successful inland ports requires the availability of strong supporting infrastructures and information systems, according to key findings. The development of adequate infrastructure, including well-connected road networks and direct rail links, should be a top priority for the government through NCIA. To reduce competition in the future, it is essential to forge strategic agreements with Southern Thai government and logistical companies. Significant opportunities are presented by the emergence of new markets, namely in the area of halal products and halal logistics. The government should also conduct a thorough assessment of the taxation of transit cargo. Overall, it is intended that the research would provide up-to-date perspectives on the Malaysian cross-border inland port as well as the strategic directions for the relevant authorities and inland port operators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seaports face significant environmental challenges in their role as hubs for logistics activities, particularly since ships are significant contributors to energy consumption, global warming and air and marine pollution. The environmental pressures facing ports has led to the emergence of the green port concept. Port Klang is the largest port in Malaysia, characterised not only by significant container throughput, but also by significant congestion issues, emissions and pollution. These characteristics led to the selection of Port Klang, the nation's major seaport, as a case study for this analysis of the variables most relevant in the effective implementation of the green port concept and subsequent research into how this green seaport concept influences a seaport's future competitiveness. To achieve these aims, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) has been employed. The findings of the analysis suggest that environmental quality, the use of energy and resources, waste handling and habitat quality and greenery are the critical influential factors required for establishing green port hub status and that then port competitiveness is most significantly affected by green operations, sustainable equipment, resources management and cost efficiency at seaports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study offers the first report of length-weight relationships (LWRs) and relative condition factor (Kn) of coralassociated snapper fishes namely: Lutjanus johnii, L. quinquelineatus, and L. xanthopinnis collected from Pulau Kambing fish landing port, Terengganu waters of South China Sea, Malaysia. This study also offers a new maximum total length of 26.8 cm (standard length of 21.3 cm) for L. xanthopinnis. A total of 861 specimens were collected monthly from March 2022 to February 2023 that were caught by using different types of fishing gear such as gill nets (mesh size 45-48 mm), hooks (numbers 9-12), and trawl nets (cod end mesh size 38 mm). In LWRs the growth coefficient b value was calculated at 2.602, 2.962, and 3.051, and the coefficient of determination r² value 0.948, 0.906, and 0.961 for L. johnii, L. xanthopinnis, and L. quinquelineatus, respectively. The student's t-test showed L. johnii had a negative allometric growth pattern. On the other hand, L. quinquelineatus and L. xanthopinnis showed an isometric growth pattern. The Kn values for L. johnii, L. quinquelineatus, and L. xanthopinnis were 1.005, 1.030, and 1.024 which indicates they are in a state of healthy growth. LWRs data for three Lutjanus species from the Malaysian South China Sea can be used for fisheries research and management of stocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the ambivalent relationship between members of the Portuguese-Melakan Kristang minority and the state from the 1940s to the present day through the lens of ethnic politics. It reveals how ambivalent imaginaries of the future have shaped the politics of community members and what strategies they have used to assert their place. Moreover, it analyses how partly contradictory, partly converging imaginaries of the future of the Melaka coastline fuelled the failure of the Melaka Gateway land reclamation project. Grounded in ethnographic fieldwork in Melaka in 2018 and 2019, it focuses on the Melaka Gateway, a large-scale land reclamation project located in the Melaka Straits where three man-made islands and one natural island with high-rise buildings, a cruise terminal and a deep sea port have been planned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This paper explores the concept of regional development by utilising the benefits generated by seaports. The east coast of peninsular Malaysia is the focus region of this research because of the imbalance of regional development compared to the west coast. Integration amongst multimodal transportation, freight corridors, seaports and transport facilities has remained underutilised as a result of the lack of policy integrating seaports as the main component in regional development. Objectives: Further, the preparation of seaports in east coast peninsular Malaysia to meet the requirements of the international agenda especially the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has become the main motivation for this study. Method: The paper explores the main factors in seaport systems that influence regional development in the east coast region and examines the implications of seaport systems on regional development and vice versa, as well as proposes development strategies for the growth of seaports in this particular region. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) has been employed to achieve the proposed objectives in this paper. Results: The outcome shows two main impacts seaports have on regional development, namely geo-economics development and social development. Conclusion: Furthermore, the progress made in the regional development might improve the dynamism of seaports and could transform the seaport as a maritime logistics hub in this region. Finally, maritime sustainable strategy, seaport integration strategy and administrative strategy can be implemented in seaports at east coast region for the continual development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Malaysian seaports face challenges of capacity utilisation due to unbalanced regional economic development. Additionally, the resulting challenge from mega shipping alliances may have effects on Malaysian seaports' competitiveness in the Southeast Asia region. To improve the existing space capacity, infrastructure and connectivity, seaports have moved forward by developing collaborative networks with other seaports in the same region or beyond the region to facilitate and boost trade without massive investments. Given the fact that Malaysian seaports are adopting co-operative strategies and there is limited academic research in seaport co-operation in the Malaysian context, this paper examines the forms of Malaysian seaport co-operation. It investigates factors driving co-operation in new and existing seaports. This paper firstly reviews relevant literature in order to classify the forms of seaport co-operation in Malaysia. Furthermore, the authors conduct a questionnaire survey of key seaport stakeholders (seaport organisations, shipping lines, shippers, inland port operators and port authorities and government officials) to investigate forms of, and the driving factors for, seaport co-operation. The findings provide an insight into seaport managers and government officials for decision-making related to strategies for seaport co-operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A comprehensive maritime industry policy that can be adequately monitored to achieve a competitive advantage is important. The Malaysian maritime industry comprises multifaceted sectors that are governed by fragmented governmental agencies. In this research, we investigated the Malaysian maritime industry cluster comprising three main sectors: Shipping, Ship Industry, Ports and Terminals. The Strength Indicator Model has been developed to reveals the maritime industry cluster. We find that the Competitions, Locations, Connections, Government and Chances factors affect the capability of the Malaysian maritime industry cluster. The result of this study will give a framework for Regulatory bodies and the various stakeholders to support the Malaysia maritime industry progressing toward a more competitive and sustainable development of the industry with the aim to become the developed maritime nation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The present era of globalization and regional competition has witnessed the increasing influence of the global operations of the shipping lines on port development and the declining monopoly of ports. This warrants the need for an identification of the port selection criteria from the perspective of the shipping lines. Hence, an attempt is made to determine the port choice from the perspective of the shipping lines. Moreover, most port operators have designed their strategies based on the 'stated preference' of the shipping lines. However, the stated preference approach can have several shortcomings such as the shipping lines would tend to overstate their demands for services at the port. This directs for an examination of the port choice of the shipping lines based on a revealed preference approach. The 'revealed preference' approach aims at judging the port choice of shipping lines purely from their 'actions' rather than what they actually 'state'. The empirical study in this article is based on a survey conducted among major shipping lines operating in Singapore and Malaysia. The findings have shown port charges and wide range of port services to be the only significant factors in their port choice. Moreover, the results show no consistency between the stated and revealed preferences of shipping lines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is disjunction between the national port policy and the national transport policy in Malaysia, as the latter, for much of its time, focused on national integration rather than trade facilitation. During Malaysia's concentration on national integration, it relied on Singapore as its main port. This allowed Singapore to develop as a centre of transport for Malaysian trade. To break Singapore's stranglehold on its cargo and to make Port Klang a regional hub port, Malaysia must reconcile its national transport and port policies, with the main aim of facilitating trade. In view of the strong presence of transnational corporations in its trade and the fact that world trade today is based on reciprocity, Malaysia may have to consider a more laissez faire approach with regard to port development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]