Sabah Cabinet Clears Sepanggar Port for 24-Hour Operations

The Sabah Cabinet has approved 24-hour operations for Sepanggar Port, a decision confirmed by state minister Ewon Benedick and reported by Nabalu News. The move switches the Kota Kinabalu-area container gateway from limited working hours to round-the-clock handling, gate moves and cargo clearance.

That single word — approval — carries the weight here. Sepanggar, officially Sepanggar Bay Container Port, handles the bulk of Sabah's containerised cargo. Its working-hour constraints have long shaped how importers, exporters and forwarders in the state plan their shipments. Anything stuck at the gate after cut-off waited until the next working window.

Ewon, speaking on the Cabinet decision, framed the approval as a state-level push to speed cargo flow through Sabah's principal port. The Cabinet sign-off means the operational change now has government backing rather than remaining a port-authority proposal.

What does 24-hour operations change?

The practical shift is simple. Vessels, yard equipment, gates and documentation can now run continuously instead of in defined shifts. For shippers, that means:

• Later cut-off times for export containers on sailing days
• Faster pickup of import boxes, cutting demurrage exposure
• More flexible trucking schedules, spreading vehicle flows across the day
• Shorter queues at peak windows as arrivals spread out

For carriers calling Sepanggar, round-the-clock handling compresses berthing time. A vessel that once waited for a working shift to open can now work through the night. Faster turnaround can make a call more attractive in schedule planning, and every hour saved at berth is cost saved on the voyage.

Forwarders and trucking firms gain scheduling room they previously lacked. A 24-hour gate lets them avoid the mid-morning crush and move boxes at night when roads around Kota Kinabalu are clearer.

Why congestion pushed the issue

Sepanggar's throughput growth has outpaced its operating windows. State officials have repeatedly flagged port congestion and cargo delays as a constraint on Sabah's trade, particularly for time-sensitive imports and agricultural exports. Cabinet approval of 24-hour operations is the state's most direct response yet: extract more capacity from existing infrastructure before building new capacity.

That logic matters commercially. Expanding effective capacity through operating hours is cheaper and faster than quay extension or new equipment orders. It is the classic low-capital congestion fix, and Sabah has now taken it.

What comes next

Approval is the decision; implementation is the test. The port operator must roster night shifts, keep customs, documentation and inspection services aligned with the new hours, and ensure trucking and warehousing chains actually use the overnight windows. A 24-hour gate only pays off if the ecosystem around it follows.

Shippers and forwarders with Sabah exposure should watch the rollout closely. If Sepanggar sustains genuine round-the-clock operations in the months ahead, the state's supply chain gets a measurable service upgrade — and other Malaysian regional ports facing similar congestion may look at the same lever.