Malaysia will build its first artificial intelligence-based container port. The facility will also be the first container port in the city of Port Dickson in Negri Sembilan state.

The MYR2 billion (US$425.7 million) project will be developed by a public-private partnership between the state (through Menteri Besar Negeri Sembilan Inc.) and Malaysian property developer Tanco Holdings. The latter, through a subsidiary, will hold about 80% of the partnership, while the state will hold 20%.

The port will be built on a 192-ha existing golf course and is located in the middle of the Straits of Malacca and has waters more than 21m deep and is 1.8km from the shoreline, and is capable of accommodating the largest container ships globally.

The port will be designed to tap on technologies to facilitate automated and efficient container handling, predictive maintenance, and enhanced security measures.

Negri Sembilan Mentri Besar (state minister) Aminuddin Harun said that the government has also agreed to set aside 33.6ha of the seabed off Dickson Bay for the construction of the terminal.

Malaysia’s Transport Minister Anthony Loke, who was present at the contract signing ceremony on 4 March, told journalists that the border area between Negri Sembilan and Malacca had been gazetted as a port limit area in 2017.

Loke said, "This smart container port, although located near the Kuala Linggi International Port in Melaka, will not be in direct competition as the latter will be more focused on the oil and gas sector. On our part, the government welcomes any private initiative and investment if it is to further improve our infrastructure such as port services.”

He pointed out that the targeted container handling capacity at the new port in Port Dickson will be decided once the relevant studies have been completed.

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