Surge in cement trade

With the overall improvement of the economy, the performance of the construction sector and boosted the movement of cement clinker/gypsum trade dramatically at Johor Port.

Cement clinker/gypsum trade rose by 120 per cent to record 943,384 fwt in the first eight months of this year.

Lately major cement producers in the southern region like Tenggara Cement Bhd, Southern Cement Sdn Bhd and Slag Terminal Sdn Bhd have been increasing their import of clinkers which remain as the important raw material in the production of cement.

The head of Dry and Break Bulk Terminal, Tomingan Kamaron said cement imports grew dramatically in the recent months. Cement trade grew by 16 per cent totaling 136,161 tonnes in the month of September 2000 compared with 117,545 tonnes in the month of August 2000.

“We are handling an approximately 118,000 fwt per month of cement traffic in 2000 as against 53,000 fwt per month of cement clinker throughput in 1999,” he added.

The demand for the cement started to increase with the expanding value-added activities in the construction sector. The sector registered a positive growth of 1.8 per cent in the second half of 1999, after declining at a lower rate of 12.3 per cent in the first half of 1999 according to Bank Negara Malaysia 1999 Annual Report.

"We expect the cement clinker trade to expand further with development of residential and civil engineering project in the southern region. In addition the Bank Negara Malaysia's 1999 survey of the construction sector showed that construction activity is expected to pick up by 17.8 per cent during the current year,” said Tomingan.

“Our bulk terminal is well equipped with grab unloaders and pneumatic steel pipeline to pump out cement to bagging facility in the port and outside port area. Cement manufacturers like Tenggara Cement Bhd and Southern Cement Sdn Bhd is directly being linked with eco-friendly 1.2 km tube conveyor system,” he said.

“We are using grab unloader to unload the cement clinker from the vessel to hopper. The hopper is equipped with a feeder system to ensure consistent feeding of clinkers to the wharf conveyor paralleling to 214m berth 6. The wharf conveyor thereafter discharges the clinkers into the 400metres open trough stretches of the belt which gradually closes up around the transported clinker to form a completed closed tube which draws 800 metres before linked to the producers site,” said Tomingan.

When the clinker reaches its final destinations, the tube opens up for discharging and then re-closes to return to the loading station at wharf 6.

“The rubber tube belt is capable of discharging 800 tonnes clinker per hour. Our huge investment on such efficient and eco-friendly system allows us to cope with fast growing volume of cement trade at Johor Port,” said Tomingan.