Kota Kinabalu: Warisan vice-president Datuk Junz Wong has described the worsening congestion at the Sepanggar Bay Container Port (SBCP) as a failure of leadership, planning and accountability by the GRS state government and parties involved in the port’s expansion and operations.
He said the situation was not a “teething problem” but the result of years of delays, weak oversight and poor coordination, with Sabah businesses and consumers now bearing the cost.
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“The chaos at Sepanggar Port is not accidental. It is the result of years of delay, weak oversight and poor coordination. Sabah businesses and consumers are now paying the price,” he said in a statement on Thursday.
Junz cited container dwell times of up to four hours, lorry queues stretching for miles, and vessels waiting as long as eight days to berth, describing the situation as unacceptable for a major commercial port.
He said the congestion has severely affected livelihoods, with delivery capacity halved as lorry drivers are now only able to deliver two containers a day instead of four due to prolonged waiting times.
“This sharp drop in productivity has driven up operating costs, from excessive fuel consumption caused by long idling to higher maintenance expenses. Transport operators have no choice but to raise charges,” he said.
Junz added that limited daily clearance capacity has led to a growing backlog of containers, with many exceeding the five-day free storage period and incurring additional port storage and removal charges.
“Prolonged dwell times also result in demurrage and detention charges. These costs are eventually passed down the supply chain and reflected in higher prices paid by Sabah consumers,” he said.
The Tanjung Aru assemblyman reiterated that efficient seaports are a prerequisite for industrial and manufacturing growth in Sabah, noting that prolonged holding times and operational bottlenecks at SBCP have directly increased the cost of doing business in the state.
He said he had raised concerns over port inefficiencies during the Sabah Budget 2026 debate last month, warning that the situation would worsen if left unaddressed.
“Unfortunately, those warnings were not taken seriously, and today the situation has deteriorated further,” he said.
Junz questioned how the SBCP expansion, which began in 2021, could still be only 18 per cent completed by 2025, despite repeated assurances that the project was on track.
“We were told the DP World takeover would bring world-class efficiency. Instead, businesses are bleeding while those in charge keep issuing briefings and promises,” he said.
He also criticised the decision to relocate Roll-on/Roll-off (RoRo) services to Sepanggar despite existing congestion, questioning whether comprehensive risk and traffic impact assessments were presented to Cabinet before approval was given.
While welcoming Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Ewon Benedick’s acknowledgement of the issue, Junz said recognition without immediate action was meaningless.
“Businesses cannot survive on solutions that are merely ‘to be tabled’. What Sabah needs now is immediate relief and clear accountability,” he said.
Junz said responsibility must be clearly borne by the GRS state government for policy decisions and oversight, Suria Capital Holdings and Sabah Ports for expansion delays, and DP World Sabah for operational efficiency.
He also called on the state government to publicly disclose the causes of the expansion delay, actual capacity constraints at SBCP, performance targets for DP World, a clear timeline for congestion relief, and accountability mechanisms if targets are not met.
“Sabah does not need more promises. Sabah needs honest answers, firm timelines and real accountability — because every day of delay costs real people real money,” he said.
