Sarawak has a total of 55 navigable rivers with a combined length of 3,300 km. In some rural areas, boat services are the only means of public transport.

International and coastal shipping

International and coastal shipping. Sarawak’s main ports are in Kuching, Sibu, Bintulu and Miri. {READ MORE} Senari Port, the latest port, is a new deep-water facility at Kampung Senari which complements the existing facilities located at the Kuching Port Authority. All of Sarawak's ports are well equipped to handle general and bulk cargoes, whether dry, liquid or gaseous.With the exception of Bintulu Port, which is under the Federal Government, all of the State’s ports are managed as State Port Authorities.

Kuching Port Authority

Kuching Port Authority is the State’s premier port served by numerous shipping lines connecting it to regional hub ports. All its terminals are in close proximity to industrial estates to facilitate easy cargo movement. Both its terminals have easy access to highway and coastal routes to all main towns in Sarawak. The Pending Terminal has an annual capacity of 2.9 million tonnes, while the Senari Terminal has an annual capacity of seven million tonnes.

Kuching Port Authority is the first Malaysian port authority to have its Container Handling Management System accorded the MS ISO 9001:2001 certification.

Rajang Port Authority

Rajang Port Authority is a riverine port at the heart of the longest river in Sarawak -- the Rajang River. Comprising four centres of operations, Sibu Port is the principal port and convergence centre for agglomeration of goods for the Central Region of Sarawak, providing the vital link of a feeder route to the major ports in Malaysia as well as a port of call for ships from various parts of the world.

It has four centres – Sibu, Sarikei, Tanjung Manis and Sungei Merah.

Miri Port Authority

Miri Port Authority is an important feeder port that links Sarawak's Northern Region's trade to the rest of the world. It is a key player in the development of trade for not only Sarawak's economy but also Malaysia as a whole. The port’s wharf handled 645,506 tonnes of cargo in 2009.

Riverine transport system

Rivers are the lifeblood of Sarawak. The state’s river transport system has great significance to the large section of Sarawak’s population who live in the interior and along the coast.

Much of Sarawak’s rural population relies on rivers for transportation. Express boat services utilise the many waterways inland to get to rural areas inaccessible by road.

The new Sarawak river taxi is expected to start operating in 2011. The bigger and more comfortable boat, equipped with better safety features, would ply the main route from the Borneo Convention Centre, Kuching (BCCK) to the Kubah Ria food court in Petra Jaya. New jetties would be built along the route, including an RM4 million jetty at BCCK.