KOTA TINGGI : The government plans to set up new Admiralty Courts near major ports nationwide to manage the increasing number of maritime law cases. Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform), Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, stated that with only one such court currently operating in Kuala Lumpur, expanding this capacity is crucial for the efficient resolution of maritime cases. Azalina said locations under consideration include southern Johor, Sabah and Sarawak, as well as Langkawi or Penang. “Transport Minister, Anthony Loke, has proposed that the Ministry of Transport (MOT) and Legal Affairs Division (BHEUU) collaborate on the matter. “If we intend to table new maritime legislation in next year’s Parliament session, we must first establish the court structure,” she told reporters after the new Pengerang Court handover ceremony today. The Pengerang member of parliament explained that increasing the number of Admiralty Courts is a preliminary step ahead of MOT’s plan to table new maritime legislation in Parliament, expected early next year. She stressed that the court infrastructure is vital to ensure the new laws can be enforced effectively once they are enacted. She acknowledged that while some argue that the number of maritime cases remains low, the reality points to a steady increase in tandem with the nation’s growing sea trade. Meanwhile, the Pengerang Court, costing approximately RM17 million, is scheduled to begin operations on Nov 1. The construction of the project commenced in May 2022 and was completed in August. - Bernama