LABUAN: Asian Supply Base (ASB) Chairman Datuk Suhaili Abdul Rahman said he expected over 8,000 offshore oil rigs and platform workers to use the new crew change facility at ASB once the rates had been approved by Petronas and relevant parties.

“This is likely to start off in July and the operations will be in full scale wen the agreed rates had been gazetted,” said Suhaili, dismissing claims from some quarters that the crew services which resumed here on April was not as impactful to the local economy as before.

Suhaili said was presently happening that full take-off was not on yet and the ongoing crew activities were limited to ship crew. 

He said this could account for 5,000 per year.