Straits Inter Logistics Berhad (‘Straits’), a Bursa Malaysia Listed Company, announced that it has received approval from Marine Department Malaysia for Victoria STS (Labuan) Sdn Bhd (‘Victoria STS’) to develop an integrated offshore Ship-to-Ship (STS) Energy Transhipment Hub within the port limits of Victoria Bay, Labuan. Victoria STS is a 70% owned subsidiary of Fajar Maritime and Logistics Sdn Bhd, which in turn is a 60% owned subsidiary of Straits. The STS hub will be Straits’ energy flagship project which will be located within the port limits of Victoria Bay deep water area spanning a vast 3309 hectares supporting an initial six (6) STS berths with safe water depths of up to 30 meters. The development will advance the introduction of state-of-the-art multi-functional energy transhipment facilities that will be able to accommodate LNG carriers up to the size of a Q-Max and Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCC).
The first phase of the STS hub will be to develop a modern anchorage-based and Single Point Mooring system infrastructure supporting up to six (6) Deepwater Mooring Berths. The infrastructure will streamline cargo compatibility with LNG, LPG, Liquefied Ethylene Gas (LEG) and Bulk Petroleum and Oil cargoes. The STS hub is slated to commence operation by the 4th Quarter of 2021. MMS is a member of the MISC Group of Companies and it serves as the centre for maritime services in the provision of marine assurance and compliance, port and terminal management and operations, and consultancy services to a range of clients in the energy sector. Incorporated initially in 1992 as PETRONAS Maritime Services Sdn. Bhd. (PMSSB), the company was rebranded as MMS when it became part of the MISC Group in 2015. The principal businesses of the MISC Group comprise energy shipping and its related activities, owning and operating offshore floating solutions, marine repair and conversion, engineering and construction works, integrated marine services, port management and maritime services as well as maritime education and training. MISC is currently one of the largest single owner-operators of LNG carriers in the world and had recently ventured into the emerging sectors of LNG bunkering vessels (LBV), and very large ethane carriers (VLECs). The STS transfer hub project will connect Labuan into the global energy grid by creating a transhipment infrastructure to access the maritime energy trade network. Our main focus is to collaborate with specialist industry partners like MMS and STSM to establish Victoria Bay Port as a major LNG and LPG energy transhipment hub. We are confident we are able to serve the needs of the major global shipping lines customers with our wide spectrum of energy-related maritime solutions.