Westport, maintaining an uninterrupted growth path over the past four years, has recorded a double-digit growth of 26 per cent totaling 585,000 TEUs in the fist six months period of this year compared with 464,177 TEUs handled in the first half of previous year.

Although the port, which last year handled 1,030,000 million TEUs, sources its strength in transhipment traffic has noted an increase in import and export cargo in recent months.

Last year transshipment made up about 50 per cent of the trade at Wetsport.

The new source of growth at the port has been recorded on the back of eight new additional services inaugurated by shipping lines calling at the port direct.

Westport, which is targeting to handle 1.6 million TEUs this year on this two kilometer berth equipped with 11 quay cranes, has, since this year won over new shipping services including the major APL-NOL line serving the east west trades and key feeder operators like Hub Line and Feeder Associate System (the feeder arm of CMA CGM).

APL-NOL offers three new services from Westport this year namely Red Sea Express, Transpacific PS1 service and Malaysia Service.  

The PS1 service is the first direct service to West Coast of America which provides direct connection between Westport and Seattle and San Pedro in the US.

APL-NOL has also mounted a weekly direct service from Westport to ports in the Red Sea region, namely Aden, Jeddah, Addis, Ababa Aqaba. 

APL-NOL weekly Tuesday service to Middle East is complemented by another weekly Sunday service initiated by Uniglory. 

The port of rotation of Uniglory's service covers Westport-Singapore-Colombo-Yemen-Jeddah-Aqaba- Jordan and Westport.

Meanwhile China Shipping, which was on the expansion drive, has further introduced two additional services between Port Klang and the Chinese market. 

China Shipping, rated as one of the world’s fastest growing and an aggressive liner operator, is seen as a major prospect for Westport in its future growth.

Both China Express service and China-South East Asia Service operated by the line link Port Klang with major five Chinese ports namely Tianjin, Longkou, Qingdao, Hong Kong and Ningbo.

In the regional services, Westport managed to attract Hub Line and Feeder Associate System thus widening the regional feedering option at the port.

Both carriers have mounted dedicated shuttle service to Thailand covering three major ports namely Bangkok, Bangpakong and Laem Cha Bang.

Feeder Associate System, which has strong presence in the Middle East, has also commenced a dedicated service between Jakarta and Westport during the period.

CMA CGM, which is expected to commit to handle 500,000 TEUs when it secures a special berthing arrangement, mounted a direct service to Vietnam market with Gemartrans early this year.

Norasia and National Shipping Corporation of Saudi Arabia have a slot sharing arrangement in the Vietnam service.

Other major operators at the port include Evergreen, Hanjin, COSCO, Yang Ming Lines, K-Line and United Arab Shipping Corporation.