19/02/02 Asia Terminal

 

Malaysia will do everything in its power to bring Evergreen to Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP) a minister said today while urging ports to plan for 7% regional growth.

 

Malaysia's Transport Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ling Liong Sik speaking at the TOC Asia Conference in Kuala Lumpur today said that the Taiwanese shipping line's interest to move to PTP was based not only on cost but by the high efficiency, productivity and reliability of the port.

 

However, doubts about the move remain as at least one regional liner shipping source confirmed that Evergreen was still in negotiations with Singapore.

 

‘Clearly the move hangs in the balance…it appears that Evergreen’s president may have spoken out of turn, but what is clear is that Evergreen’s port charges this year will be less than last year,’ said the source.

 

Meanwhile the minister also appealed to Asian ports to develop action plans to face 7% container growth in the region this year.

 

He said although container growth world-wide may be below 3%, China and India will help accelerate growth in Asia.

 

‘Containerisation in India is only 15% and growing at a rate of 35% per annum, there are tremendous opportunities in India,’ he said.

 

‘In the port business we need to build the capacity three years ahead of our needs. This is the time required for the physical construction of facilities and to enable shipping lines to reconfigure their routes,’ he added.