A Review on Development Challenges for an Inland Port at Malaysia-Thailand Border

Abstract

An inland port helps enhance the global supply chain or process it by attaching value to raw goods, serving a higher quality of operation, and serving as a procurement path for the commodities required to reduce overall shipping costs. Inland ports can eliminate or reduce the uncertainty related to customs and border delays and become JIT, enabling fast and efficient production. However, the inland port development has several problems that will be affected their operations in the future. The objective of this study was to review the challenges to the development of an inland port at Malaysia Thailand border (Bukit Kayu Hitam (BKH)). A few challenges BKH will be facing in developing inland ports are lacking of transport infrastructure and operational activities, information sharing between crucial stakeholders (players), competition between other ports, and high cost labor and non-automatic cargo inspection. A systematic Literature Review (SLR) combine with bibliometric analysis approach being adopted to review the challenges facing other ports and inland ports worldwide. Total 100 articles related to the topic from 2004 and 2021 were selected and reviewed. Bibliometric analysis was used to determine the quantity of literature, the number of writers, and the number of related themes. Literatures were reviewed and evaluated using VOSviewer software by creating, visualizing, and analyzing the inputs. The findings had supported the challenges that affected the development of an inland port at BKH. Recommendations to develop the inland port at BKH were discussed for the stakeholders and other parties.