Northport And Alam Flora Environmental Solutions Celebrate World Environment Day With Port Reception Facilities Open Day

Northport (Malaysia) Bhd (“Northport”) and Alam Flora Environmental Solutions (“AFES”), both members of the MMC Group, have collaborated to organize the Port Reception Facilities (“PRF”) Open Day in conjunction with World Environment Day 2023.

The event was jointly graced by Northport’s Chief Executive Officer, Dato’ Azman Shah Mohd Yusof and AFES’ Chief Operating Officer, Encik Nazar Abdul Raof. More than 200 people comprising of port workers as well as Northport and AFES’ stakeholders attended the open day event held at Northport PRF facility in Port Klang.

Dato’ Azman said that the impact of climate change is becoming increasingly evident, from devastating natural disasters to unprecedented heatwaves, rising sea levels, and the loss of biodiversity. Our forests are shrinking, and our oceans and air are polluted putting several species of wildlife under threat of extinction. The delicate balance of nature that has sustained life for thousands of years is now under threat.

“However, despite all these challenges, there is hope. It comes from the power of people and communities working together to overcome these problems and issues. It comes from new and exciting ideas and technologies that can change the way we interact with nature. It comes from the fact that more and more people are realizing that our actions today will have impact on our future generations. Building on this hope, Northport and AFES are collaborating to organize the PRF Open Day today, in conjunction with the World Environment Day,” said Dato’ Azman.

AFES COO’s Encik Nazar Abdul Raof said expressed the same sentiment, “The earth is our home, and it’s our responsibility to protect it. The environment provides us with the resources we need to survive, such as clean air, water, and food. But unfortunately, human activities have led to environmental degradation, which has resulted in climate change, pollution, and loss of biodiversity.”

“It’s time for us to act and restore our planet’s ecosystems. We can inculcate awareness on environmental issues and marine pollution prevention initiatives among Northport and AFES staff as well as port stakeholders in conjunction with World Environment Day,” Encik Nazar added.

Northport PRF facility was jointly established by Northport and AFES in 2019 and was fully operational in February 2020. The facility is the first on-site port reception facility in Malaysia providing waste management solutions by managing scheduled and non-scheduled waste in compliance with the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (“MARPOL”) standard. MARPOL is the main international convention aimed at the prevention of pollution by ships. It was adopted at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in 1973.

Northport PRF is the first on-site facility in Malaysia that fully meets the needs of ships without causing undue delay. It also caters to the needs from its landed clients in receiving their scheduled waste and ensuring that the waste generated is handled in accordance with legal requirements.

Since the commencement of its operations, Northport PRF has experienced a remarkable surge in the handling of waste, from 111 tonnes in 2020 to nearly 1,200 tonnes in 2022.

In line with the requirement by MARPOL, international ports must provide reception facilities to collect residues, oily mixtures and garbage generated from ocean-going ships. Contaminants generated by ships such as ship sludge cannot be discharged directly to the sea to avoid marine pollution and hence they are disposed to PRFs all around the world.

PRF Open Day was organized with the aim of raising awareness about the critical importance of environmental preservation among the port workers and its stakeholders.

“Education and awareness are crucial in our quest for a sustainable future. Let us empower ourselves with knowledge about the intricate web of life and understand how our actions can either support or undermine it. Let us educate our children about the importance of environmental preservation, cultivate in them a deep love and respect for nature.” said Dato’ Azman.

“With various services provided by PRF, AFES strives to be the premier PRF service provider in Malaysia (Straits of Malacca), and to be certified with ISO16304:2018 in 5 years’ time. We believe that with our capacity and capability, Northport PRF will be on par with other international PRF service providers such as Port of Rotterdam and Port of Antwerp,” said Encik Nazar.

Northport and AFES have consistently been working together and have demonstrated strong commitment to environmental preservation. In 2018, Northport and AFES collaborated in the former’s 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) campaign known as Ayuh Kitar Semula program. The annual 3R campaign aims to raise environmental conservation awareness among Northport employees through the collection of recyclable items. Since its inception, the program has successfully collected over 194 tonnes of recyclables, and raised RM67,877.00 which is then used to fund Northport’s ESG initiatives.
Source: Northport