Pelabuhan Bintulu kini bawah bidang kuasa Sarawak

Perdana Menteri Anwar Ibrahim and Sarawak Premier Abang Johari Openg witnessed the symbolic handover of Bintulu Port from the federal government to Sarawak's leadership today. This marks a new chapter in the management of this strategic port. The transfer's significance is heightened by Sarawak's hosting of Malaysia's 2026 National Day celebrations.

At a ceremony in the Kuching International Airport Grand Atrium, Transport Minister Loke Siew Fook represented the federal government, while Sarawak's Deputy Premier Douglas Unggah Embas stood in for the state. According to the Sarawak Ministry of Infrastructure and Ports Development, the handover entailed four key documents: the Ports to Ports (Disinvestment) Order 2026, the Bintulu Port Company (Dissolution) (Striking Off) Order 2026, the Bintulu Port Dissolution (Annulment) Act 2024 (Act 858), and the Bintulu Ports Company (Dissolution) Act 2024 (Act 859).

With Acts 858 and 859 coming into effect on September 1st last year, Bintulu Port officially changed its status from a federal port to a state port under Sarawak's jurisdiction, according to the statement. This shift also saw the dissolution of the Bintulu Ports Company (LPB), with maritime authority now under the Bintulu Port Authority (Sarawak), a statutory body established under the Ports Authority Ordinance 1961.

As of September 1, 2026, all LPB assets, rights, interests, and obligations will be transferred and vested in the Sarawak government. The handover of Bintulu Port took approximately three years, from the announcement of the transfer by Abang Johari in January 2023, to its approval by the Sarawak Cabinet in February 2023. Permission for the handover was also announced by the Prime Minister at the 2024 Budget in Parliament on October 13th, 2023.

Both governments then signed a memorandum of understanding on March 22nd, 2024, before the Acts 858 and 859 were enacted in the Dewan Rakyat in July 2024. In February last year, the federal and Sarawak governments agreed on the purchase price of LPB, which is RM1.8 billion. The final contract was signed on June 21st, 2026, followed by the handover ceremony from the Sarawak government to the federal government in Bintulu.