AHEAD OF SCHEDULE: Dr Pang (right) gestures to brief Tan on the progress of the POIC container.

16/03/2012 (Borneo Post) - The ongoing construction of the second phase of the fertiliser and container port at the Palm Oil Industrial Cluster (POIC) here is expected to be completed in a month’s time and will be fully operational by this coming June.

Disclosing this was POIC Sabah Sdn Bhd cief executive officer, Dr Pang Teck Wei, in a briefing conducted during a site inspection by State Industrial Development Minister Datuk Raymond Tan Shu Kiah Wednesday.

“We are glad that the construction of this port can be completed six months ahead of the schedule,” said Dr Pang.

Once completed and fully operational, this 26-metre-deep fertilizer container port costing RM160 million to build, can accommodate even the world’s largest vessel; it can also allow the cargo ships to unload cargoes within 24 hours.

Dr Pang noted that currently the POIC has eight fertilizer factories and once the port is completed and operational, it would significantly help boost the oil palm sector there.

Meanwhile, Tan was optimistic that with such an impressive infrastructure development, the said container port would be able to attract more investors to come in to invest in Lahad Datu, especially in POIC.

He said the State government’s effort in establishing the POIC had succeeded in attracting foreign investors from various countries like Australia, Britain, Hong Kong, Korea and Singapore, to develop such industries like bio fuel, fertilizer and also power generation.

This had undeniably spurred a rapid development and significantly boosted Lahad Datu’s economy, he said.

Thus, Tan urged the people to seize the opportunity to invest in the increasingly booming property industry here, which is rather visible with the mushrooming of many commercial and residential development projects.

He commended the developer of Seri Permata 66, which is a pioneer high-end, gated-community housing project there, for its farsightedness in capturing the rapid economic development of Lahad Datu.

He also encouraged both the local and overseas investors to purchase the property in Seri Permata 66, either for investment purpose, or to provide a comfortable-and-secured living environment for its senior management staff.

Tan acknowledged that the housing development industry could play a significant role not only in propelling the economy of Lahad Datu, but also in shaping the future outlook of the entire district.

He encouraged property developers there to be bold in their designs and approaches, while implementing their development projects in future.