shipyards. More Malaysian ship owners are now favouring the strong track record and cost
competitiveness of foreign shipyards.
Source: Marine Department Malaysia, MIGHT
While there is some reliance on imported vessels by Malaysian ship owners, the export value
of ships, boats, floating structures and parts has nevertheless been showing promising growth
since 2015. Total export value of RM 0.677 billion in 2015 had increased by 58.9% to RM
1.076 billion in 2017, which was the highest value recorded since 2012 (RM 2.139 billion). 7
90% of exported vessels in 2016 were built in Sabah and Sarawak alone. The types of exported
vessels included ferry-boats, barges, yachts, tug boats and fishing vessels and they are widely
accepted in international markets (e.g. India, Singapore, UAE, Indonesia, United States, United
Kingdom, etc.) In 2016, India received a quarter of vessels built in Malaysia while Singapore
received 19%. 8
Despite the steady growth of exports in recent years, the value of imports of ships, boats,
floating structures and parts has soared at a much higher rate.
7
8
Department of Statistics, Malaysia
Malaysian Shipbuilding/Ship Repair Industry Report 2017/2018
Environmental Scan – Maritime (Shipbuilding and Ship Repair -SBSR) Sector
11