25/03/2017 (Borneo Post Online) - The RM70 million Tanjung Manis Palm Oil Bulking Facilities (POBF) will be a catalyst for the development of the palm oil industry.

Second Minister of Resource Planning and Environment Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan officially launched POBF – the first palm-oil based industry in the Tanjung Manis Palm Oil Industrial Cluster (POIC) – yesterday.

Tanjung Manis Bulkers Sdn Bhd initiated the facilities as a joint-venture between Pusaka Capital Group – a subsidiary and investment arm of the Sarawak Timber Industry Development Corporation (STIDC) – and KTS Group.

POBF’s main facilities include 16 storage tanks with a maximum storage capacity of 64,000 metric tonnes.

The other associated facilities are oil bays, pump house, boiler house, weight-bridge control room, workshop, store, boiler room, water treatment plant, and administrative block.

Pusaka general manager Datu Sarudu Hoklai said the facilities were not confined to Pusaka and KTS Group.

“Eight units of storage tanks are ready and another eight would be ready any time soon,” he said.

Sarudu said he hoped the project would ensure that Tanjung Manis could continue to be promoted and developed.

Among those witnessing the launch were Assistant Minister for Industrial Development (Investment and Promotion) Datuk Julaihi Narawi and KTS Group managing director Dato Henry Lau.

Meanwhile, the Tanjung Manis POIC infrastructure project has been completed and is ready to welcome investors.

POIC is also poised to witness the development of a refinery with the capacity of 1,200 metric tonnes per day, petro-chemical industry, oleo-chemical industry as well as related value-added downstream industries.

This will pave the way for the development of various projects such as the 31-acre Integrated Palm Oil Project (IPOP), as well as 159-acre light industrial park for petro-chemical, oleo-chemical and related industries (LIPPOR); besides complementing existing projects such as a seven-acre Oil, Gas and Chemical (OGC) Jetty, and 30-acre Central Oil Distribution Terminal (CODT).