Incorporation of Dry Ports into the National Transport Policy: A Proposal for International Trade Acceleration

Abstract

The Malaysian National Transport Policy (NTP) aims to develop a conducive ecosystem for the transport sector, facilitate seamless cargo movement, promote public mobility, enhance public transport competitiveness, and build an intelligent and green transport system. However, the policy does not comprehensively cover the lack of assimilation of inland components with the seaport system. To close the gaps, this paper thoroughly discusses the three main objectives proposed for the study: first, to understand the current practicability status of the Malaysian NTP; second, to identify policy limitations concerning the integration of seaports and dry ports in Malaysia; third, to give constructive insights for future strategies to upgrade the Malaysian NTP for national and international trade development. This study adopted a traditional literature review method incorporated with an integrative literature review analysis (ILRA) to scrutinise literature analysis. The findings of this paper indicate that Malaysia should develop a novel and comprehensive seaport-inland policy model integrated with the existing NTP model. Integrating dry ports with the seaport system is crucial to determining NTP sustainability and enriching the nation with an effective transportation system.