Bintulu: The handing over of Bintulu Port to Sarawak will be finalised by the end of June this year, said Sarawak Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas. He said the Federal Government has agreed to the transfer of Bintulu Port to the Sarawak Government for a value of RM1.8 billion.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, in the third quarter, Sarawak will proceed with consolidating all State port authorities under a central port authority to be known as the Sarawak Ports Authority. This move aims to streamline policymaking, regulation, and harmonise development efforts alongside the implementation of a strategic Sarawak ports masterplan, Uggah stated during the winding up of the ministry's debate on the motion of thanks to the Yang Dipertua Negeri at the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly.

In other developments, Uggah, who is also Sarawak Infrastructure and Port Development Minister, reported that as of April this year, the Sarawak-Sabah Link Road (SSLR) Phase 1 has achieved 70.05 percent physical progress and is expected to be completed in 2027. He mentioned that SSLR Phase 2 has commenced, recording an overall physical progress of 10.55 percent as of April, with completion scheduled for 2029.

Uggah highlighted that Phase 2 will include Sarawak's first road tunnel project under Package 4, with a proposed length of approximately 2.24 km. The alignment was designed to minimise hill cutting and preserve the surrounding environment, while reducing travel distance from approximately 22.4 kilometres to about 7 kilometres. The government also welcomes the recognition by the World Wide Fund for Nature Malaysia, which commended the adoption of the tunnel route as a balanced approach between infrastructure development and environmental conservation.