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Hub Line, one of the
fastest-growing intra-Asia specialists, has
selected the newly-opened Sepangar Bay Container
Terminal at Kota Kinabalu in Sabah as a hub port
from which it will link its services to a
network several ports in the region.
The shipping line which has services linking
China, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Brunei,
Korea, Mynmar, Papua New Guinea, Singapore,
India as well as several ports in Peninsular
Malaysia and Sabah/Sarawak, hopes its services
linking the new container port in Sabah will
provide shippers in the state an extensive
regional outreach.
The winning over of Hub Line to Sepangar Bay
Container Terminal which commenced operations 1
June 2007, marks an auspicious start for the
RM400 container terminal built by Sabah Ports
Sdn Bhd which operates and manages seven other
ports in the state of Sabah.
With a formidable fleet of more than 40
container ships covering the region, Hub Line
has lifted the aspirations of Sabah’s new
gateway container terminal in its bid to become
a regional transshipment hub.
The shipping connectivity that will be provided
by Hub Line will be strategic link for Sepangar
Bay Container Terminal that expects to serve as
a hub port not just linking with other ports in
Sabah and Sarawak but also the whole of the
BIMP-EAGA, Brunei-Indonesia-Philippines Economic
Growth Area.
Hub Line which operates several dedicated
service strings in the intra Asia trade will
link Sepangar Bay Container Terminal with
several ports in China, Vietnam, Indonesia,
Mynmar and Bangladesh with inter-connecting
service strings that includes calls at Port
Klang as well.
Hub Line’s branch manager, Joseph Moo said the
shipping line has decided to focus its
transshipment operations at Sepangar Bay
Container Terminal in view of the state of the
art facilities.
“We are happy with the new facilities and the
assurance on shipside productivity provided by
the port operating company,” he said in Kota
Kinabalu.
He noted that the recent improvement in
productivity to 18 gross moves had exceeded
industry expectations and the port operating
company had assured it would try to further
improve the rate to beyond 20 gross moves.
Welcoming the initiatives of the Sabah Port Sdn
Bhd and Suria Capital Holdings Bhd to improve
the performance of the ports in the state, James
Lee, president of the Sabah Shipping Agents
Association said the commissioning of the new
port terminal augured well for the development
of the state.
“We are happy with the various efforts made to
improve the port performance and productivity
since privatization of the seven ports in the
state to Sabah Ports Sdn Bhd,” he said.
Pleased with the development of Sepangar Bay
Container Terminal at Kota Kinabalu in Sabah,
the Federal Minister of Transport Datuk Chan
Kong Choy during his visit to the terminal last
month said his ministry would be working closely
with the State Ministry of Infrastructure
Development and Sabah Port Authority to enhance
the competitiveness of the port.
The new container terminal, that will offer a
capacity to handled about 500,000 TEUs, and
replacing container handling operations at Kota
Kinabalu port, is one of the largest port
development projects carried out in the state
which has witnessed strong demand for port
facilities and services consistent with its
industrialization and economic growth.
Container throughput growth at Kota Kinabalu has
been promising, with the port posting 8.5 per
cent increase to 151,000 TEUs last year from
141,00 TEUs in 2005.
With the new direct shipping services mounted by
Hub Line, the port is optimistic of posting a
higher growth of about 200,000 TEUs.
Container traffic in the first quarter of this
year posted a commendable 21 per cent growth
totaling 51,800 TEUs after a full year growth
totaling 226,700 TEUs the previous year.
The new container terminal, which will be
equipped with four state of the art shore-side
mobile cranes and supported by three high reach
stackers for landside operations, will have an
installed capacity to handle 500,000 TEUs per
annum.
The terminal which draws a liner berth of more
than 400 metres long, will be able to serve
ships up to 3,500 TEUs size.
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