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At a time when other ports are looking out for financial hand-outs, it is a refreshing change when the Chairman of NCB Holdings Bhd, Tan Sri Ahmad Sarji took pains to emphasis that all development, including the recently-launched new container terminal, has been carried out entirely by internally-generated funds.
Staking the satisfied claim before the Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi and about guests and port users at the launching Northport's Container Terminal 3 last week, Ahmad Sarji said the port was committed to long-term development of its facilities to meet the expanding demand of the national trade.
NCB Holdings Bhd is the parent company of Northport (Malaysia) Bhd, the operating arm of port facilities and services at Northport in Port Klang.
Northport, Ahmad Sarji, who is also the chairman of Permodalan Nasional Bhd said, is the single provider of the combined facilities and services that interacts with clients in both the container and non-container sectors.
Container Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 offer berthing facilities measuring 2,379 metres with a capacity to handle 2.6 million TEUs and are supported by the two back-up container yards measuring 84.6 hectares in total.
Northport, which last year handled a total of 2,302,839 TEUs (2002 Jan-July: 1,417,216 TEUs) account for 55 per cent of the total container traffic via Port Klang.
Ahmad Sarji said Northport was now able achieve effective turn-around in terms of performance standards.
He said in terms of capability, Northport has been able to lift its performance standards. In terms of capability, Northport has been able t lift its performance towards the benchmark of leading world ports.
Ahmad Sarji cited a study done by a UK-based consulting firm which noted that leading ports in Asia are rated as capable of servicing an average of 1,149 TEUs of container per metre run of quayline per annum.
European counterparts are credited with an averaged rating of 808 TEUs per metre per annum while the top port in America produce averaged yields of 698 TEUs per metre per annum.
"I am pleased to report that the productivity ratings that have been achieve by Northport during the same based year was 909 TEUs per metre per annum," he said.
Based on year 2002 figures to date, Northport's berths are performing at the national output rating of 997 TEUs per metre per annum.
Ahmad Sarji said Northport's business would expand with the development of the Terminal 3 which was now underway.
The terminal will have an initial length of 356 metres to handle containerized traffic with facilities to meet the requirements of the largest container ships in service today and those of the next generations of vessels.
Northport has plans to further extend the quayline at Terminals 3 to more than 900 metres.
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