KUALA LUMPUR – The Port Klang Authority (LPK) stands accused of taking ‘misleading’ actions that have damaged the reputation of a shipping company. Expressing his disappointment, Datuk Seri R Jeyendran, the CEO of Maritime Network Sdn Bhd, alleges that LPK claimed his company neglected safety standards when permitting large vessels to dock.
According to him, this action was taken only after Maritime Network had obtained written permission from LPK.
“Our customers’ large vessels docked because we had obtained written permission from LPK. Now LPK alleges that we neglected safety standards and violated regulations. What is the truth here? Why are we being blamed when written permission had been granted?” he stated, as reported by the media.
Jeyendran clarifies that Maritime Network, with over 20 years of presence in the country, has never violated any shipping regulations. Instead, all dealings have been transparent and above board.
“When LPK claims we violated regulations, it tarnishes the company’s reputation as these statements contain elements of slander,” he added.
He insists that LPK needs to provide a comprehensive explanation, including regarding the written permission previously granted to Maritime Network, to prevent such incidents from recurring in the future.
“LPK’s allegations arose after I openly criticized LPK as being inefficient and sought the intervention of the Transport Minister, Anthony Loke,” he said.
Earlier, in his open statement, Jeyendran urged LPK to adopt a more professional approach when dealing with customers.
This comes after the port authorities failed to communicate effectively, involving an email sent by Maritime Network on October 16.
Further commenting, Jeyendran explained that the email related to maintenance work carried out at the Port Klang.
“We requested LPK’s kind cooperation in providing the best berthing schedules for three months. Unfortunately, we received no response even after waiting for several days,” he mentioned.
Jeyendran’s claims were refuted by LPK, which stated they had extended the matter to Northport so that all necessary details could be obtained from Maritime Network, including the vessel’s depth expectations to provide tide schedules over a three-month period.
LPK asserted that tide schedules are typically provided to agents a week in advance, not three months as Maritime Network had requested.
However, Jeyendran did not accept LPK’s response, claiming the agency was trying to make excuses.
“When this issue was publicized in the media, only then did they respond to me, or more precisely, 30 minutes after this matter was made known. This communication failure is highly concerning as it directly relates to ship and port safety,” he added. -MalayaDailyToday
