Bernama 5 Oct 09;
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 5 (Bernama) -- The recent announcement by a group called the Straits of Malacca Partners Sdn Bhd to build a RM44 billion bridge linking Peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra has set the maritime community abuzz.
Touted to be the biggest infrastructure project ever in Malaysia, the 50-kilometre bridge between Melaka and Dumai is envisioned to enhance socio-economic ties between the two areas.
The big scope of the project warrants close inspection from a maritime perspective, according to the Maritime Institute of Malaysia (MIMA).
The proposed bridge will arch above the Straits of Malacca, a key passageway that facilitates a significant volume of global maritime trade, said MIMA.
"It is certain that the bridge would generate significant impact on the environment and activities in the surrounding area," it said in a commentary by Dr Ibrahim Mohamed, Mohd Nizam Basiron, Nazery Khalid and Capt Rakish Suppiah.
According to MIMA, construction of the bridge will hamper the safe movement of ships in the Straits of Malacca.
Traffic flow in the Straits, one of the world's busiest sealanes, will be adversely affected, it said.
"The dense Straits is not only used by merchant ships and huge tankers traversing its length but also a big number of cross-traffic barter vessels and fishing boats," the institute said.
"It is expected that the presence of the bridge would present an obstacle for the smooth flow of shipping traffic in the narrow waterway," it said.
MIMA said the presence of the bridge is likely to generate significant impact to maritime trade, ports, shipping traffic and infrastructure developments in and along the busy waterway.
"A project of this magnitude would surely alter the landscape of maritime trade in the surrounding areas and would reshape the dynamics of the economy in the area, including shipping, port operations and other related activities," it said.
MIMA called for a thorough and comprehensive study of the potential cost-benefit, legal, environmental, strategic and socio-economic impact of the project to be conducted before any decision is made.
"Until then, the proposed bridge across the Straits of Malacca will remain a bridge too far," it said.
-- BERNAMA
