KUCHING, Dec 1: Sarawak Association of Marine Industries (Samin) hopes to capitalise on the momentum unleashed by its recently launched book titled “Sarawak Maritime Industry : A Catalyst for Economic Growth“.
The book was jointly published by Samin with Universiti Teknologi Mara (Sarawak Branch) which collected and compiled statistics on the Malaysian and Sarawak marine industries especially in shipbuilding and ship repair (SBSR).
Samin president Dr Renco Yong said given the importance of the marine industry to Sarawak’s economy and the prosperity of its people, it is crucial to compile and update information and statistics with regards to the industry.
He said this during the book launch at the Annual General Meeting of Maritime Strategic Association of Malaysia (Mastra) held at The Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology (Might ) in Putrajaya recently.
The guest-of-honour at the event was Might CEO Datuk Dr Mohd Yusoff Sulaiman.
According to Yong, the book has thus far received very encouraging responses from stakeholders in the Malaysian and Sarawak marine industries.
“Thus far, we have shifted 500 units of the book through online platforms and intended orders which have had positive feedback from industry associations and from federal and State Government agencies to buy the book in large quantities for distribution at home and abroad,” said Yong.
This early success has greatly encouraged Samin to intensity its efforts to provide the latest and accurate information about Sarawak’s marine industries for the benefit of industry stakeholders and investors, he added.
The publication of the book is a major milestone for the maritime industry in Sarawak as it showcases the State’s marine industry’s players, activities, capabilities and opportunities.
The book also highlights the achievements of local players in the industry and provides a glimpse of what they are capable of achieving in the foreseeable future and the exciting prospects Sarawak’s marine industries have to offer.
Yong recalled that two decades ago, there were only a few websites featuring Sarawak’s marine industries and few local companies had profiles or catalogs of products to showcase their capabilities. Information on Sarawak’s SBSR activity was few and far between.
Thanks to relentless efforts by industry players and the Sarawak government, Sarawak’s prowess in marine industries became gradually well known in the region and beyond through participation in exhibitions, seminars, forums, conferences and roadshows.
These initiatives, Yong said, have helped to showcase and promote the capabilities of Sarawak players in the marine industries on the international stage. — DayakDaily
