Evergreen move to new port spells growth
New Straits Times
Evergreen Marine Corp’s shift of its regional hub from Singapore to the Port of Tanjung Pelepas in Johor will result in the latter graining over one million TEUs (20 foot-equivalent units) in 2003.
The transhipment company officially launched its services at the port (PTP) signaling a new era of co-operation. Evergreen started its operation in PTP in late August 2002 after shifting from Singapore. It is the second major mainline operator that PTP has managed to woo from the republic after the Nordic company, Maersk Sealand.
“PTP has handled 2.05 million TEUs in 2001. For year 2002, we managed to surpass the 2.5 million TEUs mark.
“With Evergreen, we expect a significant increase in our growth rate in the following years,” said PTP chairman Datuk Mohd Taufik Abdullah.
He added that by having Evergreen, which is among the biggest player in the containerisation shipping industry, PTP had full confidence in becoming the region’s premier transhipment centre.
While the bulk of Evergreen’s main line and intra-Asian services has shifted to PTP with the maiden call of the Uni-Concord vessel, PTP has started two more services last month-the NSB feeder services.
They connect PTP weekly with Taiwan, Hong Kong and other Southeast Asian ports.
Evergreen’s services at PTP also include the long-haul east and west-bound China-Europe-Mediterranean, the Far East-Mediterranean and the West Coast-Asia-Europe pendulum services.
“PTP’s strategic location, its high terminal efficiency and its custom-designed-facilities are the key attractions for the main lines. In the respect, we expect other main lines to also see PTP’s fast-growing land bank and distribution and logistics sector as added incentives to call,”Taufik said.
PTP had embarked on the construction of its Phase Two project. Dredging and reclamation works started in August and the entire 2.8km land reclamation is to be completed by early 2005.
“PTP will construct the berth for Phase Two in stages with the first two berths scheduled to be completed by end of this year,” he said.