KUCHING, July 9: Borneo Asphalt Sdn Bhd (BASB) has expressed willingness to support the Public Works Department (JKR) Sarawak’s contractors on any shortfall of bitumen supply.
BASB general manager Zamsury Kushaili said the company currently has 3,000 metric tonnes of bitumen available which under normal circumstances should be able to cover 30 kilometres of road construction.
“The objective of setting up BASB, which commenced operations in January 2021, was to ensure uninterrupted supplies of bitumen for road construction in Sarawak, particularly the Pan Borneo Highway and we are committed to fulfil that aspiration,” he said in a statement today.
On the same token, Independent Oil Terminal (IOT) head Ismail Julaihi clarified that there was only a minor glitch on July 1 which was immediately rectified within 24 hours according to the normal industry standards.
“The glitch does not affect the lifting of bitumen to the market.
“Currently, we have ample bitumen stock available in our storage. The contractors are always welcome to get their supplies at IOT depot at any time,” he said.
Both IOT and Borneo Asphalt bitumen depots are located at Senari Synergy Industrial Complex in Senari, Kuching here and have been handling bitumen lifts of between 200 to 250 metric tonnes per day.
This statement was issued following JKR Sarawak’s latest update on the delayed opening of Mile 6 and 7 flyovers as contractors are facing a shortage of bitumen supply to meet construction work completion targets.
JKR Sarawak, in a statement on July 7, explained that suppliers in Kuching were experiencing a delayed shipment of bitumen from Singapore and this situation was further complicated by the breakdown at one of the terminals at IOT Sejingkat.
It added that there was limited availability of bitumen stocks and supply since early June to meet demands not only for Mile 6 and 7 flyover projects, but also other road packages as well.
While waiting for the bitumen supply in Kuching to be replenished, the contractors are trying to get the bitumen supply from Bintulu. — DayakDaily
