Malaysia perlu lahir lebih ramai pedagang petroleum tempatan, kata industri

To succeed in the international petroleum trade, Malaysia needs to produce more skilled local traders, according to industry players. Malaysia must develop homegrown traders with support from financial institutions and businesses so they can compete globally, said R Jeyenderan, a veteran with 28 years of experience. He proposed a six-month training program for undergraduate and PhD students, featuring twice to four sessions per month.

The training covers financial management, customer identification procedures (KYC), ethical trading, and trade risk management. "The goal is to educate them on proper international trading and financing methods," he stated in a statement. Jeyenderan emphasized the importance of accessing financing, as traders need bank facilities to purchase cargo and meet business commitments.

"Without banking facilities, there's no point in discussing trade in Malaysia," he added, urging more support for local traders aiming to enter the global petroleum market. Based on his experience, Singaporean traders are among the main competitors when he first entered the shipping brokerage business nearly three decades ago. He noted that even small changes in petroleum prices can lead to significant profits or losses when dealing with large cargo volumes.

To develop new skills, his company, Maritime Network Sdn Bhd, trains around five to 10 industry professionals each month, depending on the number of applications. These trainees receive guidance on ship operations and industry practices. "This is expected to help more local traders gain skills to compete in the global petroleum market and generate commercial value domestically," he concluded.