PETALING JAYA: Cabotage in the shipping industry is quite prevalent, with 91% of UN member states that collectively account for 80% of the world’s coastlines having some form of restriction against foreign-flagged vessels.
“For example, China practises a strong regime of cabotage, which means they do not allow Malaysian ships to trade in the Chinese coast.
“Indonesia, which for many years never had a cabotage policy, decided to impose the policy in 2014, which resulted in a staggering 140% increase in merchant fleets and tonnage between 2014 and 2019, ” said Tan Sri Halim Mohammad, chairman of the Malaysian External Trade and Development Corporation (Matrade).
Speaking at a webinar on the subject of shipping cabotage, organised by Tuaran MP Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau on Monday, Halim said Malaysia had a lot of catching up to do when it comes to grabbing a slice of the commercial shipping pie, despite being located next to the Malacca Strait.