Malaysia could easily be the top maritime nation in southeast Asia. It is surrounded by sea on both sides, including the two Borneo states.
There are so many different sectors in port facilities, shipping and logistics that it could have latched onto. So far, it has not made much inroad into any of these sectors. The little island down south is also surrounded by seafront. It has taken full advantage of its location, and has focused on planning and infrastructure building. It is more successful in the maritime sector and related industries.
So where did we go wrong? What is it that we didn’t do right? Or have we failed to take up the challenge? Having an international-class home port could have propelled Malaysia into a leading destination as far as cruise operation is concerned. A transit call is different from a home port call, where cruise vessels would operate on a more dedicated rotation and passenger embarkation and disembarkation would become a prominent feature. Basically, a homeport is where a cruise starts or ends.