He said the feasibility study was carried out to identify a suitable site for the construction of a new port to be developed there as Northport and Westports have almost reached their maximum capacity.

Loke told the Dewan Rakyat the development of the third terminal had been included in the Carey Island Development Master Plan drawn up by the Selangor state department of urban and rural planning (PLANMalaysia).

He said this when replying to points raised during the debate on the 12th Malaysia Plan mid-term review.

Loke added that his ministry and PKA had taken part in all the discussions on developing Carey Island.

He said a third port in Selangor would boost the country’s economy and create 115,000 jobs.

In March, PKA general manager K Subramaniam had announced PKA’s plan to construct a cargo port estimated to cost RM28 billion on Carey Island, Klang, scheduled to be completed by 2060.

He said PKA was looking into developing a back-up area for the existing port which would serve as a base for manufacturing activities and other value-added logistics services.

Trans-Borneo railway

Loke also announced that his ministry had applied to the economy minister to conduct a study on the probability of the Trans-Borneo railway project being included in the 12th Malaysia Plan.

“To ensure the implementation of railway development in Sabah and Sarawak is value for money and has a positive impact on the local, social and economic aspects, (but) a feasibility study needs to be conducted first.”

He went on to reveal that as of August, the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project was 50.29% completed.