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Bangladesh is keen to make the Penang port its
sister port as part of efforts to enhance trade
and relationships between the two nations, its
Minister of Shipping, Shahjahan Khan, said. He
said Bangladesh, a developing country, was keen
to have a greater understanding of the
operations of a modern port such as the Penang
port.
"We do not have any sister port and we feel that
the Penang port will be ideal," he told a media
briefing after a tour of the newly-completed
Swettenham Pier International Cruise Terminal
here Tuesday.
Shahjahan is leading a delegation on a visit to
Penang port. Accompanying them were Penang Port
Commission chairman Tan Cheng Liang and Penang
Port Sdn Bhd chairman Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahaya.
He said he would discuss the matter with
Bangladesh prime minister soon.
"I hope to sign the memorandum of understanding
(MOU) with Penang port soon. We are impressed
with the development of the port here," he said.
Meanwhile, Tan said she hoped the MOU could be
signed soon as it would help enhance the
development of the ports.
"If we sign the MOU with the port, especially
Chittagong port, it will help strengthen the
relationships between the two nations in terms
of port operations," she said.
She said Penang port has made a steady progress
since it was privatised in 1994 and its
throughput increased by 3.1 per cent to 958,476
twenty-foot equivalent (TEUs) last year from
929,639 TEUs in 2008.
Tan said the Penang port would undertake
projects including the acquisition of container
equipment and increase the post-Panamax gantry
cranes to 16.
She said the newly-completed international
passenger ship terminal at the Swettenham Pier
International Cruise Terminal was expected to
attract one million passenger arrivals this
year.
"With the capabilty of the terminal to receive
bigger ships it is expected that the number of
passengers staying over in Penang will increase.
"The terminal also has facilities for ferries
plying between Penang and Langkawi and between
Penang and Medan, Indonesia," she said.
The 15,000 sq ft terminal also has houses the
Customs and Immigration offices and quarantine
area.
Source: Bernama
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