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The
country’s major port operators are optimistic of
registering volume growth this year as volume
has been picking up since the third quarter of
last year, reflecting green shoots of economic
recovery.
This is after cargo volume at most ports dipped
significantly year-on-year in the first half of
last year due to the global economic downturn.
Northport (M) Bhd managing director and chief
executive officer Datuk Basheer Hassan Abdul
Kader said it expected to register volume growth
this year as intra-Asian cargo had been picking
up since the third quarter last year.
But this is barring any unexpected development
that may hinder the projection.
Container volume at Northport had decreased by
15% and 12.2% in the first and second quarters
last year respectively year-on-year.
In the third quarter of last year, the volume
had shown improvement with only a 3% fall while
the fourth quarter registered growth of 9.5%.
“About 70% of our business is from handling
intra-Asian cargo which has shown positive
signals lately.
“In fact, the volume growth in the second half
of last year was mainly from intra-Asia cargo,”
he told StarBiz.
Basheer said the port had last week reached 2.84
million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) that
was already above the expectation for 2009.
Northport registered about three million TEUs in
2008.
Going forward this year, he said, Northport
would continue to invest in equipment such as
rubber-tyred gantry and prime movers and to
continually improve its efficiency.
Northport currently has the capacity to handle
about five million TEUs annually.
Westports Malaysia Sdn Bhd executive chairman
Tan Sri G. Gnanalingam expected its terminal to
handle five million TEUs this year from 4.5
million TEUs last year.
Westports, also a major port in Port Klang,
handled about 4.97 million TEUs in 2008.
“The volume at Westports had been growing
year-on-year since the third quarter of last
year and it reflected the recovery of the
Malaysian economy in the manufacturing sector,”
he said.
The country’s major transhipment terminal, Port
of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP), has forecast
double-digit volume growth this year in line
with more favourable economic conditions.
“We are optimistic of 2010. The recovery of the
world’s economy will benefit transhipment ports
like PTP as it has the capacity to do so,” said
chief executive officer Capt Ismail Hashim.
“We also anticipate that the pace of a
sustainable global economic recovery will gather
its momentum in the second half of this year.”
He added that PTP, which handled about 5.6
million TEUs in 2008, also expected to register
volume growth in 2009.
“PTP expects 2009’s volume to be more than 5.6
million TEUs. This is due to some restructuring
by the existing customers (shipping lines) in
their route pattern which resulted in them
transhipping more containers at PTP.
“Also, we have signed a new main line operator
(CMA-CGM) in mid-2009 which contributed to the
additional volume at PTP,” he said.
But, he added, the economic downturn was
expected to continue impacting the shipping
lines although signs of recovery had seemed to
emerge.
“PTP sees this as an opportunity as many
shipping lines would be looking at cost savings
of which PTP is in position to offer through its
competitive pricing and excellent port
productivity,” he said.
Capt Ismail has retired as the CEO of PTP
effective Dec 31, 2009. However, he was still
holding the position at the time of writing. His
duties is now carried out by deputy chief
executive officer Azlan Shahrim until a new CEO
is appointed.
Sabah Ports, a subsidiary of Suria Capital
Holdings Bhd that manages about eight ports in
the state, has projected an overall 1% increase
in total cargo throughput, inclusive of wharf
containers, non-containerised and mid-stream
cargo, this year.
Suria Capital group managing director Datuk Dr
Mohd Fowzi Mohd Razi said the wharf volume was
expected to increase by 9% and containers by 8%.
“However, the overall growth would be somewhat
offset by the expected decrease in volume at
mid-stream due to the declining timber trade and
thereby pull the overall increase to a marginal
increase of only 1%,” he said, adding that the
port business would continue to contribute a
steady stream of earnings for the Suria Capital
group.
Sabah Ports had estimated to record a 5%
decrease in TEUs for last year against 2008’s
279,500 TEUs. For non-containerised cargo, it
projected a 12% decrease to 22.3 million tonnes
in 2009.
“But, there had been good growth in the fourth
quarter 2009, indicating that the Malaysian
economy and, in particular, Sabah has entered a
recovery phase,” he said.
On expansion this year, Mohd Fowzi said the
major capital expenditure in the ports would
comprise the purchase of two gantry cranes for
the Sapangar Bay Container Port (SPCP) costing
about RM43mil and the investment in a new
Sapangar Bay oil storage and depot of about
RM32mil.
“With the new gantry cranes, we hope to entice
some main line operators to call at SPCP and
therefore enabling us to do more transhipment
business,” he said.
“The new Sapangar Bay oil storage and depot is
expected to generate more liquid cargo
throughput and therefore earnings for the port
business and the group,” he said.
Source: The STAR
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