Johor Port, PTP aim to become Malaysia’s southern gateway

KUCHING: Johor Port and Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP) are aiming to become the transport and logistics hub in the southern region of Malaysia.

Johor Port Authority (JPA) senior corporate manager Rafidah Mohd Ali told The Borneo Post yesterday that both ports will be enhancing their efficiencies and reliabilities to position themselves as the southern gateway of Malaysia for transhipment as well as import and export activities.

"As part of our goals to make both ports as the transport and logistics hub, we will make sure that we are efficient and reliable.

"We will be increasing our branding and marketing by collaborating with industry players and government agencies.

"We are also going to support facilities to do transhipment, import and export activities so that both ports will be able to serve businesses in the Asia Pacific region," she said when met at the Sarawak Timber and SMEs Expo 2015 held at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) here yesterday.

Apart from that, Rafidah said JPA is also exploring the opportunities to assist ports and river ports in Sarawak for their import, export and transhipment activities.

JPA is encouraging businesses in Sarawak to use Johor Port and PTP as their hub for import, export and transhipment activities, she added.

PTP handled 8.5 million of twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of container throughput last year while Johor Port handled 750,000 TEUs of containers throughput in 2014.

JPA is constantly reviewing the plan to expand further and planning to increase the capacity handling of cargo throughput at both ports to support the cargo volume in this region.

As for the trip here, Rafidah explained that it is to familiarise herself with the current market situation with regards to import and export activities in Sarawak.

JPA is also studying the possibility as well as the trend of import and export of key commodities in Sarawak to other destinations so that JPA would be able to provide assistance in the future.

Also present were Johor Port Bhd's business development division marketing and corporate strategy manager Dinesh Shanker Supramaniam and Pelabuhan Tanjung Pelepas Sdn Bhd's brand management, marketing and commercial division senior manager Siti Nuraziah Syed Saruat Nasim.