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A dramatic surge of 13 per cent increase in the
volume of containers handled by local ports
totaling 15.0 million TEUs in 2007 has
contributed to further raising the profile of
Malaysian ports and strengthening their role in
the international port system.
The increase from 13.5 million TEUs handled in
2006 was contributed by increase in
transshipment traffic, which now makes up about
50 per cent of the total container trade at
Malaysian ports, including those in Sabah and
Sarawak.
Transshipment traffic comprises the handling of
containers from and to third countries handled
via Malaysian ports by global shipping lines
utilizing a hub and spoke shipping connectivity
linking the intermediate and final markets.
Blazing the trail, Tanjung Pelepas Port in Johor
stretched its lead as the country’s single
largest container port with an impressive
throughout totaling 5.4 million TEUs.
PTP which has expanded its shipping connectivity
last year has a capacity to handle 8 million
TEUs at its 3.6 KM long container berths.
PTP’s sister port, Johor Port in Pasir Gudang,
(both the are regulated by Johor Port Authority)
also pushed hard with a record 920,000 TEUs
bring the total volume of containers handled by
Johor Port Authority to 6.32 million TEUs in
2007.
Port Klang, consisting of two port operating
companies – Westports and Northport – the
combined volume of containers handled totaled
7.2 million TEUs in 2007, compared with 6.3
million TEUs in the previous year.
The increase at Port Klang was contributed by
the huge surge in transshipment of containers
handled by Westports which holds the lion’s
share of traffic at Port Klang while an
unexpected last quarter increase in traffic
handled by Northport helped the port to exceed
its expectations.
Penang Port, which operates 900-metre container
terminal managed to exceed its expectations by
handling 926,000 TEUs in 2007.
On the eastern seaboard of Peninsular Malaysia,
Kuantan Port, managed and operated by Kuantan
Port Consortium Sdn Bhd, handled 128,000 TEUs in
2007.
The box volume at Kuantan Port, identified as
the gateway ports for the eastern corridor port
is expected to further grow with the commitment
of IJM Coproration Bhd, the parent company of
Kuantan Port Consortium Sdn Bhd to extend its
present container terminal by another 200metre.
In Sarawak, the four principal container
handling ports namely Bintulu Port, Kuching
Port, Miri and Rajang Port handled close to
500,000 TEUs in 2007.
Bintulu Port kept its lead as the main container
port in Sarawak, with a total of 240,000 TEUS
last year.
Box traffic volume at the Bintulu Port which
recently concluded a terminal service agreement
with Hub Shipping Sdn Bhd rose dramatically by
more than 20 per cent from 199,000 TEUs handled
in the previous year.
The port is also handling increasing volume of
transshipment boxes from smaller ports in Sabah
and Sarawak.
The other three container handling terminals in
Sarawak also posted positive growth in 2007.
Kuching Port handled 162,000 TEUs while Rajang
65,000 TEUS and Miri Port 20,000 TEUs during the
period under review.
In Sabah growth in container traffic was also
positive led by Kota Kinabalu which last June
commissioned its new fully dedicated container
terminal at Sepangar Bay.
Sabah container ports comprising facilities in
Tawau, Kota Kinabalu and Sandakan handled a
total of 268,000 TEUs in 2007. |
