The name of Bintulu was derived from the local native language " Mentu Ulau " ( picking heads ) . Bintulu was a small fishing village when Rajah James Brooke acquired it in 1861 . Brooke later built a fort there in 1862 . In 1867 , the first General Council meeting ( now Sarawak State Legislative Assembly ) was convened in Bintulu . It is the earliest state legislature system in Malaysia . The construction of the earliest airstrip in Bintulu began in 1934 but was halted in 1938 due to financial difficulties . During World War II , the airstrip was heavily bombed by Allied forces . The British later rebuilt the airstrip , and it became fully operational in 1955 . The old airport was replaced by a new airport in 2002 . Bintulu remained a fishing village until 1969 when oil and gas reserves were discovered off the coast . Since then , Bintulu has become the centre of energy intensive industries such as a Malaysia LNG plant , a Shell Middle Distillate Synthesis plant , and a Bintulu combined cycle power plant . The economy has also expanded into oil palm and forest plantations , palm oil processing , wood @-@ waste processing , and cement manufacturing . The port of Bintulu is the busiest in Sarawak . The town is also a gateway to Samalajau Industrial Park .