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The
newly-appointed Minister of Transport Dato' Chan Kong Choy, will make his
"maiden call" to one of the largest containers in the world when the P&O
Houtman, belonging to the Anglo-Dutch shipping giant, P&O Nedlloyd, berths
at Northport, in Port Klang on 19 August 2003.
The Minister will be onboard the 6,800 TEU post-panamax container ship that
has been deployed by P&O Nedlloyd in its direct service between Port Klang
and Los Angeles, US.
"We are deeply honoured by the acceptance of the Minister to visit one of
our vessels and even more delighted to know that it will be also the first
for the Minister to be onboard a container ship," said the managing director
of P&O Nedlloyd (Malaysia) Patrick Lim Keng Lee.
Lim said the vessel that the Minister will board is the largest in the fleet
of 150 vessels owned and operated by P&O Nedlloyd, one of the largest global
liner companies.
In conjunction with the historic visit, P&O Nedlloyd has also invited
diplomats from several countries.
Lim said, the vessel, P&O Nedlloyd Houtman" will be commencing her new
service routing from Port Klang to Los Angeles, with a transit time of 17
days.
"The direct service will enable Malaysian exporters to the USA market, a
weekly fast transit to the West Coast of the USA,"he added.
He noted that together with her sister vessels of similar 6,800 TEUS class
deployed in this route, they represent amongst the largest vessels plying
this sector from Malaysia to USA.
P&O Nedlloyds prides itself as being the oldest container shipping line to
serve Port Klang, a history that goes back 30 years ago when the shipping
line gave its commitment when the country's first dedicated container was
being built.
The shipping line, which is a member of the Grand Alliance consortium of
shipping lines, is also the single largest to call at Northport. |
