PENGERANG,
Johor - A local oil and gas company
wants to transform this south-eastern part of Johor into the Rotterdam of Asia
within 20 years.
Rotterdam,
the second largest city in the Netherlands and one of the world's busiest
ports, has reputedly the biggest petroleum terminal in the world.
In an
area best known for its lobster and seafood dishes, work is being carried out
on 344ha of reclaimed land to house a huge deep-water petroleum terminal.
"Once
ready, the RM5 billion (S$2 billion) terminal can store up to five million
cubic metres of oil," said Pengerang Independent Deep-water Terminal Sdn
Bhd chairman Ngau Boon Keat.
With 40
years' experience in the oil and gas sector, Ngau said Pengerang was ideal for
the project as it is located right in the heart of shipping routes to the
Middle East and China.
"We
aim to make Pengerang the Rotterdam of Asia as the Dutch port is known
throughout the world for having the largest petroleum terminal," he said on
Friday.
The
project will be built in four phases, with the first phase of reclamation work
expected to be completed next year.
Part of
the terminal is expected to be ready by the first quarter of 2014.
"The
terminal is on track," said Ngau, who is executive chairman of the Dialog
Group, which is a partner in the project along with the Johor Government and
Royal Vopak NV, a Dutch company dealing in oil and natural gas-related
products.
Ngau
said the deep-water petroleum terminal would create more than 5,000 jobs,
adding that Malaysians working overseas in the oil and gas sectors were
expected to return to work here.
He said
there were Malaysian skilled workers and experts working in the sector in the
Middle East and Singapore.
"This
is a shame. Many Malaysians are working in Singapore's refinery in
Jurong," he said.
He
recalled that when he first obtained his Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical
Engineering from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand in the 70s, it was
hard for him to get a job in Malaysia in the oil and gas sector.
"I
went for a walk-in interview at Mobil Singapore Pte Ltd, where I was offered a
job as a refinery engineer. I worked for five years from 1975 in Petronas, when
it first started.
"Malaysia
has the skilled workers and the source for natural oil. I believe with this
terminal, the industry can go much further and contribute significantly to our
economy," he said.
Johor
Oil and Gas, a corporation under the Mentri Besar's office, said the state
government was assessing the value of the houses and land of those affected by
the project.
Moh
Farhaan Shah
The
Star/Asia News Network
Business & Investment Opportunities
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