PASIR GUDANG, Dec 16 — The Cabinet has agreed to abolish the import permit for 54 categories of items previously required for transshipment abroad, Transport Minister Anthony Loke announced today.
He said the majority of the items to be abolished are commodities consisting of raw materials or primary agricultural produce that are brought into Malaysia first before being shipped to another country.
“Previously, a total of 74 transshipment items are required to have APs. However, dangerous items such as firearms, fireworks and explosives will still need APs when shipped to Malaysia.
“This latest decision will make our ports more competitive in the region,” he told reporters after launching a ceremony to mark the record one million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Unit ships that have passed through Johor Port here.
Present was Johor International Trade, Investment and Utility Committee chairman Jimmy Puah Wee Tse and Johor Port Berhad chairman Datuk Seri Che Khalib Mohamad Noh.
Loke said that the exemption is expected to take effect in the first quarter of 2020.
He said the Customs Department will come out with a new list of items that still requires the Approved Permit (AP) for imports.
Loke had hinted at loosening current restrictions on imports back in May in a bid to make Malaysia a more attractive transshipment hub.
