ECRL BYPASS SINGAPORE IN JANUARY 2027

ECRL Bypass to Shenzhen saving 30 hours in time. Will operate on 1.1.2027 which is 6 months away.

Ships can unload their containers at Port Klang onto freight trains to be unloaded onto ships at Kuantan Port. Then, they can sail on to Vietnam, Cambodia, China, Taiwan and Japan.

Ships can still sail down to Melaka, Singapore, Indonesia, Papua, Australia and New Zealand.

Kra canal or Thailand land bridge is still all talk.

With the Pinglu Canal being completed by September 2026, this new canal will allow freight to be shipped up to Nanning in China.

The Pinglu Canal is a massive new waterway in southern China. Spanning 134 kilometers, it directly links the inland Xijiang River system to the sea at the Beibu Gulf .

Set to open in September 2026—three months ahead of schedule—this $10.7 billion project is China’s first major river-to-sea canal since 1949 . It is designed to handle 5,000-tonne vessels, cutting the previous 560-km detour via Guangdong .

💡 Why does it matter?

· Cheaper & Faster Trade: It will slash logistics costs for southwestern China by 18-30% , saving an estimated $690 million annually .

· Boosting ASEAN Ties: As a "rail-water-sea" corridor, it aims to strengthen supply chains with ASEAN, China’s largest trading partner .

· Connecting Western China: It turns Guangxi into a key logistics hub, giving inland areas a much more efficient route to global markets .

While it’s a transformative regional project, analysts note it won’t rival the Suez or Panama Canals in global scale .

WINGSAIR FLY FROM MELAKA TO INDONESIA

Wings Air will fly from Melaka to Pekanbaru Indonesia from June 10 2026.

Melaka Tourism should also get Chinese airlines to fly into Melaka as Zheng He tours.

VIEW SUNSET AT ENCORE MELAKA

Visitors to Encore Melaka can view Straits of Melaka sunset in the evening.

There is a covered cafe there for you to view the sunset.

MELAKA HOP ON HOP OFF RIVER CRUISE

Visitors and Malaccans can take our Melaka Hop On and Hop Off Cruise. Visitors can stop at stops along the river.

Visit this link. 

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Cruise Details & Tickets

• Duration: Approximately 45 minutes.
• Operating Hours: Daily from 9:00 AM to 11:00 PM.
• Ticketing: You can buy passes at the physical counters or skip the queue by booking in advance through platforms like the Melaka River Cruise - Online Ticketing portal or redBus.
• Jetties: The cruise typically operates as a return loop from Taman Rempah (Spice Garden Jetty) and Dataran Sungai Melaka (River Square Jetty).
• Hop-on Hop-off Feature: The operator sometimes offers a hop-on hop-off package (1-day or 3-day pass). This allows you to stop at specific points of interest—such as the Melaka River Park—explore attractions, and catch a later ferry back. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]

Key Sights Along the River

As you glide down the UNESCO-recognized waterway, you'll pass several major city landmarks: [1, 2]

• Kampung Morten: A beautifully preserved traditional Malay village.
• The Stadthuys: Dutch colonial red buildings visible from the water.
• Jonker Street: The bustling heart of Melaka's historic Chinatown.
• Vibrant River Murals: Colorful street art painted on the walls of historic shophouses along the riverbanks. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Tips for a Great Experience

• Day vs. Night: Going in the late afternoon lets you catch the sunset. Evening rides are highly popular because the riverside bridges and buildings are illuminated with colorful, vibrant lights.
• Wildlife: If you go during the daytime, keep an eye out for monitor lizards basking along the riverbanks. [1, 2, 3, 4]

For a quick look at what the vibrant night cruise experience looks like from the water:

14 Februari - Pakej Hop On Hop Off (HOHO) Cruise Sungai Melaka yang dilancarkan Perbadanan Pembangunan Sungai dan Pantai Melaka (PPSPM), kini bersedia menerima kedatangan pelancong.

Timbalan Exco Kemajuan Desa, Pertanian dan Keterjaminan Makanan, Low Chee Leong berkata, inisiatif ini membolehkan pengunjung turun dan naik di mana-mana jeti sepanjang Sungai Melaka.Kemudahan ini bukan sahaja memudahkan pergerakan pelancong, malah memberi manfaat besar kepada sektor pelancongan negeri ini.

TOURISM MELAKA TRUST FUND

 NationTrust fund to be established to manage Melaka heritage fees, preserve historic city

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By RSN MURALI

Tuesday, 28 Apr 2026 | 7:10 PM MYT

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MELAKA: The Melaka Legislative Assembly has passed a resolution to establish a Heritage Fee Trust Fund to support the preservation and sustainability of the historic city’s heritage assets.

Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh (pic) said the fund would provide a structured mechanism to manage proceeds from a heritage fee imposed on tourists staying at registered hotels in the state.

He stressed that the fee would be carried out by hotels and channelled to local authorities acting as agents for the state government.

Ab Rauf said the move was in line with the state’s responsibility of preserving heritage sites following Melaka’s recognition, together with Georgetown, as a Unesco World Heritage Site on July 7, 2008.

"This recognition is not merely a matter of pride but a responsibility that requires continuous commitment from the state government to preserve and safeguard this heritage for future generations,” he said when tabling the motion on Tuesday (April 2

He added that the heritage fee would serve as a dedicated source of funding for conservation and tourism-related preservation efforts.

STRAIT OF MELAKA

Straits of Melaka is the longest and busiest strait in the world.

About 33% of marine traffic passes through this strait from Europe, Middle East and India to China, South East Asia, Taiwan, Japan and Australia.

KUALA LUMPUR, April 6 — The Strait of Malacca, one of the world’s most important shipping lanes, remained the largest oil transit chokepoint globally in the first half of 2025 (1H25). The strait, which links the Indian and Pacific oceans, is the shortest sea route between West Asia and key markets in East and South-east Asia.

According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), the strait handled an estimated 23.2 million barrels of oil per day in 1H25, accounting for 29 per cent of total global maritime oil flows.

Crude oil and condensate made up most of the volume passing through the strait at 16.6 million barrels per day in 1H25, while petroleum products accounted for 6.5 million barrels per day. Liquefied natural gas (LNG) flows through the waterway reached about 9.2 billion cubic feet per day over the same period.

Key Persian Gulf Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) producers, namely Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Iraq, accounted for nearly 60 per cent of the crude oil moving through the Strait of Malacca in 1H25. Flows through the strait fell in 2024 following Opec+ production cuts, but picked up again in the first half of 2025 after output targets were raised.

In 1H25, the United States also sent 0.8 million barrels per day of crude oil and condensates from its Atlantic coast through the Strait of Malacca to East Asia.

China remained the single biggest destination for crude oil and condensate passing through the strait, taking in 7.9 million barrels per day, or 48 per cent of import volumes, in 1H25. Most of the crude oil moving along the route was shipped from West Asia to East Asian markets, reflecting the strait’s importance to regional energy trade.

South Korea and Japan were the next largest destinations, receiving 2.4 million barrels per day and 2.1 million barrels per day respectively in 1H25.

While alternative routes exist, including Indonesia’s Sunda and Lombok straits, ships using those paths would face longer voyages. The EIA also pointed to a pipeline linking Myanmar to southwest China as another partial alternative. Even so, the Strait of Malacca remains a key route for oil and LNG shipments from West Asia to East and South-east Asia. — Bernama 

KEE ANN ROAD

Our Kang Family owns a heritage shop house at Kee Ann Road. 

A block of 9 Shophouses were built in 1930 and they are now about 96 years old.

A video of Kee Ann Road, Melaka.

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