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Road
Builder (M) Holdings Bhd, a
diversified property &
construction based public listed
company, is witnessing its
investments in ports making
significant contributions to the
group’s performance.
The
company, which holds 55 per cent
stake equity in Kuantan Port
Consortium Sdn Bhd, the
concessionaire operator of Kuantan
Port, recently reported that its
port division, contributed RM11.3
million to the Group's profit for
the financial period ended June 30
this year.
Earnings
from the port sector rose by 41 per
cent from RM8 million in the
previous financial period.
Road
Builder said recently it was
committed to transforming Kuantan
Port into a regional petrochemical
hub serving the Asia - Pacific Rim.
The
company, which was awarded the
excavation contract for the
development of the 80 hectares inner
harbour basin of Kuantan Port,
completed the work three months
ahead of the original schedule.
This
has paved the way for the company to
further concentrate on development
of dedicated terminal for container
and an additional chemical handling
facilities said the joint managing
director of the Road Builder, Datuk
Shamsudin Md Dubi, which is also the
executive vice chairman of KPC.
Datuk
Shamsudin said construction of a new
liquid chemical berth project is
underway in the enlarged harbour
basin of the Kuantan Port and is due
for completion in February neat
year.
This
will be the second chemical berth
development undertaken by Road
Builder after taken over the Kuantan
Port effective January 1, 1998. Road
Builder has completed the 240-metre
LCB-2 in 1999.
The
completion of LCB-3 by Road Builder
will complement the existing six
liquid bulk berths at Kuantan Port,
which draws 1,270 metres length and
capable of handling vessel with more
than 50,000 displacement tonnes.
In
view of the rising box traffic at
Kuantan Port, Road Builder is also
developing a 352-metre dedicated
container berth and expected for
completion next year.
The
terminal will be the first dedicated
container handling facility in the
eastern corridor and will further
expected to increase earning of the
group.
Container
traffic. Kuantan port handled 63,437
TEUs in the January-October period
of this year.
KPC
achieved a cargo throughput of seven
million tonnes, a 25 per cent
increase over the corresponding
throughput of 5.6 million tonnes in
the previous year.
Kuantan
Port is expected to increase its
capacity of handling cargo
throughput to 18.5 million tonnes
from the current 8.5 million tonnes,
when the upgrading works on the port
are completed.
Road
Builder is also extending its
involvement in port sector by taking
a 30 per cent stake in Konsortium
Pelabuhan Kemaman Sdn Bhd.
The
company was awarded the
privatisation of East Wharf and
Liquid Chemical Berth of Kemaman
Port in March this year.
Road
Builder is also looking at merging
the operations of its Kuantan Port
and Kemaman Port under single
management.
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