Sabah Ports – Covid19 outreach

Sabah Ports Sdn Bhd (SPSB) has pledged to assist communities across Sabah, Malaysia in response to the hardship brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic. The company had set up a special fund to render assistance to families whose income had been severely affected as well as assist frontline agencies in their fight against the virus. SPSB’s Covid-19 outreach program kicked off in May 2020 whereby the company reached out to 800 families from 17 villages and   7 children homes located within the port vicinities. SPSB operates 8 seaports across Sabah located in Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan, Tawau, Lahad Datu and Kunak.

Under the large scale relief program, food packages containing basic necessities such as rice, cooking oil, sweetened milk, sugar, crackers, flour, dates and beverages were provided to families whose income had been affected following the imposed movement control order which was introduced to curb the spread of the virus. Welfare homes were equally affected as public donations had reduced during this period. Being a responsible entity, SPSB is compelled to stand in solidarity with the community and participate in relief efforts and complement on-going efforts by the government, socially responsible companies and NGO’s.

Business wise, SPSB took steps to ease the burden of its customers and local traders. SPSB had waived store rent for all cargoes across its 8 ports from 18th March 2020 until 12th May 2020 and extended credit period from the normal 28 days to 56 days. Despite the financial implications, SPSB is pleased to be a source of support to the port community.

Other significant contribution include a substantial donation to the Sabah State Government’s  Covid-19 Disaster Fund, an ECG machine to Tuaran Hospital, protective canvas for the Covid – 19 Quarantine Center located at Kota Kinabalu Polytechnic and RM 5, 000 worth of infant formula.