GFG Logistics Sdn. Bhd., a Malaysian owned company, has just launched their first “Roll On Roll Off” (RoRo) Vessel, the M.V. Grand Vision. The M.V. Grand Vision vessel was built in Japan and is now flying a Malaysian flag.
With 12 decks and 37,000sqm of space, M.V. Grand Vision has the capacity of carrying 5,040 Car Equivalent Units (CEU). Sailing at a top speed of 20 Knots, M.V. Grand Vision will operate over Malaysian domestic routes, calling at the Ports of Kuching, Kota Kinabalu and Labuan, as well as Intra-Asean ports.
Giga Shipping Sdn. Bhd., an experienced organisation in the Malaysian Auto logistics industry will undertake the role of a space charterer and booking agent of this vessel between East and West Malaysia. Meanwhile, Kawasaki Kisen Regional Navigation (KKRN), a Malaysian company will operate this vessel on a Liner basis between East and West Malaysia, including the ASEAN ports of Laem Chabang, Jakarta and Singapore. This reflects the intentions of the participating entities to improve the quality standards of their assets and to enhance the services offered to customers. This is why close to RM45 million was spent on the purchase of M.V. Grand Vision to replace its’ predecessor; M.V. Jasa Bakti.
GFG Logistics and the liner operators say that it is necessary to bring in modern vessels to not only cope with the ever changing requirements of motor vehicles, of which over time has grown in size, but also to manage the needs of our customers, specifically the car manufacturers, who expect to transport larger numbers of vehicles to East Malaysia.
As we are dealing with new sophisticated types of vehicles which have become larger as the years go by, car manufacturers and customers require that their shipments are delivered with zero defects. It is by spending time with our customers that we are able to understand their needs as well as their policies, which allow us to make decisions and move effectively to adapt to changes in the external environment.
Following the announcement of the National Automotive Policy (NAP) earlier this year, it is understood that Malaysia aims to increase its total production of vehicles to 1.25 million vehicles and boost annual exports to 250,000 units by the end of 2020.
In a year, 18% – 20% of the Malaysian Total Industry Volume (TIV) is exported to East Malaysia. That being said, it is expected that the volume of vehicles exported to East Malaysia would grow in tandem with the national automotive plans and Giga Shipping together with their business partners are ready to serve the needs of the Malaysian Automotive industry in the future.
