Proposed US$14B oil pipeline across Malaysia could cut costs

A proposed oil pipeline project to pump oil across northern Malaysia – bypassing the busy Malacca Strait – could lower transportation costs and avoid risks of pirate attacks on tankers, Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak said Tuesday.

The US$14.2-billion project would involve building a 320-kilometre pipeline across northern Malaysia, linking ports on the two coasts, officials in northern Kedah state announced last week.