FEATURE
INGENIEUR
Employment Challenges for Graduate Engineers in the Shipbuilding and Ship Repair Sector
By First Admiral Dato ’ Ir . Hj Ahmad Murad B Hj Omar ( R ) Executive Chairman , OMAHAMD Corp Sdn Bhd
Malaysia is a maritime nation with a
coastline of 4,675km ( Peninsula Malaysia
2,068km and East Malaysia 2,607km ) with two key major contributors to the Gross National Product ( GNP ): petroleum and natural gas products i . The Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology ( MIGHT ), jointly with the Association of Maritime Industries Malaysia ( AMIM ), released the Malaysian Shipbuilding / Ship Repair Industry Strategic Plan 2020 , which was presented to the stakeholders on July 27 , 2011 at Putrajaya . The plan was aimed at setting the national agenda for the industry in the years leading up to 2020 . The target was to capture 80 % of the local new build market and 2 % of the global new build market . The target for ship repair was to capture 3 % of the vessels plying the Malacca Straits and 80 % of the South China Sea offshore repair market . It was also anticipated that the contribution to the GDP would be RM6.35 billion and the job opportunities created in excess of 55,500 ii . It was indeed an ambitious plan . A later publication of the Malaysian Shipbuilding / Ship Repair Industry Report 2017 / 2018 , released by MIGHT , posted a worrying statement iii . The graphics showed workers from the industry being laid-off and although the majority were foreign , a number were local . If the situation persists , the 2020 targets were farfetched .
Current Shipbuilding and Ship Repair ( SBSR ) technology advancements coupled with the
Figure 1 : Vessel in Dry Dock Courtesy OMAHAMS Corp Sdn Bhd
Figure 2 : Extract from SBSR Industry Report 2017 / 2018 ( page 25 )
38 VOL 83 JULY-SEPTEMBER 2020