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Joshua (front, eighth left) leads the cake-cutting ceremony, where he is joined on stage by (front, from sixth left) Lau and Hua Ang, as well as Ling, Chieng (front, from third right) and other guests.
SIBU (Oct 13): Local shipbuilding industry players need to attract more young blood, so as to enable them to learn the latest technologies and help elevate this sector in the future.
In stating this, federal Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing pointed out that this would bring about more development opportunities.
“I look forward to seeing the Sibu’s shipbuilding industry able to attract more young blood in the future.
“While continuing operations, the industry should encourage more young people to participate, so as to bring about more development opportunities,” the Bintulu MP said at the opening ceremony of Sibu Shipyards Association’s 50th anniversary dinner at a hotel here on Saturday.
Tiong’s text-of-speech was read out by political secretary to Premier, Joshua Ting.
Adding on Tiong, also Dudong assemblyman, acknowledged Sibu’s shipbuilding industry as having inherent advantages, but he also observed that this sector still relied on foreign workers for key tasks such as welding.
“Given the challenges of global market competition and the evolving nature of shipbuilding technology, ordinary blue-collar workers will increasingly struggle to meet the demands of this high-tech industry.
“Therefore, we urgently need to cultivate ‘technical talents’ in this field.
“To avoid being ‘outcompeted’ in the highly-competitive shipbuilding market, the Sibu shipbuilding industry must actively learn from advanced countries such as China and South Korea.
“We must improve in areas such as technology exchange, safety assurance, regulation, and the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation systems to maintain our foothold in the booming maritime logistics trade.”
Tiong said in particular, Malaysia had recently attracted many tech giants, driving the development of its digital economy, AI and cloud services.
“The shipbuilding industry should also seize this technological opportunity by introducing the latest technologies and knowledge to promote industrial transformation and upgrading.”
In this regard, Tiong encouraged technical and vocational institutions to invest more resources into relevant courses, providing Sarawak students with comprehensive learning content that would meet the demands of the shipbuilding market.
He suggested the investment to include establishing strategic partnerships with domestic and international enterprises and academic institutions, as well as offering students more opportunities to learn the latest technologies and gain practical experience.
“They could even visit or intern at major shipbuilding companies abroad, contributing to Sarawak’s transformation in the era of Industry 4.0.”
Later, at the same function, Joshua announced an allocation of RM20,000 from Tiong, meant for the association.
Meanwhile in his speech, Deputy Minister of Public Health, Housing and Local Government Datuk Michael Tiang said the largest domestic shipbuilding industry in the country was in Sarawak, with more than half of the shipyards concentrated in Sibu.
“I can confidently say that the shipbuilding industry in Sibu is a vital pillar of Malaysia’s shipbuilding economy. The ships built in Sibu have earned an excellent reputation and status internationally.
“I believe orders from countries such as the Middle East, Singapore, Indonesia, China, and the Philippines are continuously coming in,” he said.
Tiang’s text-of-speech was read out by Councillor Chou Kok Jin, who represented him at the event.
In his remarks, Sibu Shipyards Association chairman Ting Hua Ang pointed out that with the intense global competition and rapid technological advancements, there was a need to continuously explore and embrace innovation to reach new heights in the future.
“It is this spirit of resilience and innovation that has driven us forward through stormy waters.
“Looking ahead, our association will continue to uphold the principles of serving our industry and pursuing innovation and change.
“Through this effective communication platform, we aim to enhance the dialogue between the government and shipbuilders, and also foster cooperation and resource integration among our members to maximize social impact,” said Hua Ang.
Sibu MP Oscar Ling, Lanang MP Alice Lau and Bukit Assek assemblyman Joseph Chieng were also present.
English (US) ·