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Lumut
Maritime Terminal (LMT), in Perak is
now handling a wider variety of
cargo reflecting its growing
popularity by shippers in the
central peninsular Malaysian region.
The
port, which posted five per cent
growth to 1.1 million tones in the
January-November 2001 looks forward
to further strengthening its role in
the national port system.
Its
general manager, Kwek Chee Wah said
LMT has widened its cargo base from
a pure dry bulk handling terminal to
a multipurpose facility.
“LMT
used to be a 100 per cent dry bulk
handling facility. Today the
scenario has changed dramatically
with more 40 per cent of the traffic
at LMT made up by non-dry bulk
traffic,” said Kwek.
Liquid
bulk traffic has emerged as the
fastest growing type of traffic at
LMT.
Lately
the terminal has started to receive
bigger capacity crude carriers
and tankers, including recently the
Red Sapphire, the largest tanker to
berth at the terminal which loaded
25,001 tonnes of RBD Olein.
The
39,711 dwt size tanker and loaded
25,001 metric tonnes of refined,
bleached and deodorised (RBD) palm
olein in bulk into ten separate
tanks.
“It
was also the largest single shipment
of palm oil handled todate at our
terminal,” said Kwek.
The
longest tankers to berth at the LMT
were mt Stolt Condor and mt. Stolt
Osprey, each of 176.8 metres LOA.
The
increasing sizes of tankers and
shipments reflect the confidence
users have in the capability of
Lumut Maritime Terminal, said Kwek.
Besides
liquid bulk traffic, LMT continued
to handle increasing volume of bulk
cargoes, including a a shipment of
149 packages of locally manufactured
equipment and materials for MLNG-3
plant in Kidurong Industrial Estate
in Bintulu, totaling 3,668 cubic
metres and weighing 256 metric tons.
The
consignment of two voluminous
incinerators, each of 1,118 cbm
about the size of a double storey
terrace house were loaded direct
from the shippers premises onto the
vessel, mv lover letter, at the
LMT’s multipurpose main berth.
The
ability to load the cargo direct
from shipper's premises was made
possible
as the manufacturing plant is
located about a kilometer from
the
LMT, within Lumut Port Industrial
Park (LPIP).
Direct
loading resulted in savings on
intermediate storage, handling
and
lower port charges. Proximity to the
port also reduced
transportation
cost.
Kwek
said LMT offers an alternative and
less costly means of importing the
raw materials and exporting their
manufactured products that can be
large, voluminous and cumbersome.
“The
proximity of the port can result in
tremendous savings on
transportation, handling and port
cost and provide our exporters with
the much-needed competitive edge
necessary in a globalised economy
and AFTA,” stressed Kwek.
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