KUALA LUMPUR: The cost of rebranding the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and KLIA2 terminals does not involve any allocation from the Transport Ministry.

Its Minister, Anthony Loke said the rebranding costs, which include marketing and signages, would be borne by Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB).

"In terms of rebranding KLIA and KLIA2 to Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 respectively, it is an application from MAHB, it has nothing to do with the government. MAHB requested for it to be considered.

"It is more towards marketing the airports. The rebranding costs do not involve allocation from the ministry," he said when winding up the debate on the Supply Bill 2023 for the ministry at the committee level in the Dewan Rakyat today.

On the disappearance of the Malaysian-registered cargo ship MV Dai Cat 06 since January, Loke said investigations are still ongoing and, so far, there is no indication of the ship's location.

According to Loke, his ministry, with cooperation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will continue to monitor the progress of the investigation.

On Jan 9, the cargo vessel, carrying pipe rods valued at RM726,205 and five crew members, was reported missing in Indonesian waters, and a police report was lodged by the ship's agent on the same day.

Meanwhile, he said his ministry is finalising the acquisition of 10 sets of trains for electronic train services (ETS) and 12 sets for the North Sector Komuter service with an allocation of RM574 million and RM297 million respectively.

He said the acquisition was to increase the service frequency provided by Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd (KTMB), especially to the north of the peninsula.

"It will be either we use our model of buying directly through tender procurement or through the lease model, which is a rental process with the supplier renting (the train) to us as the operator and they are responsible for maintenance," he said.

The Dewan Rakyat later passed RM1.54 billion for the ministry under Budget 2023 at the committee level with a majority vote.

-- BERNAMA