Port of Tanjung Pelepas bucks trend

WHILE most ports suffer a downturn world-wide, Malaysia’s Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP) is bucking the trend and finds itself among the 20 busiest container terminals in the world.

PTP, which recently signed an agreement with Marseilles-based CMA CGM, expects to handle 6.1 million TEUs, up by nine per cent from the 5.6 million TEUs it handled during 2008.

Under the terms of the agreement, PTP will provide container terminal services to CMA CGM to handle regional transhipment cargo, which will be transhipped at PTP near Singapore.

In fact, even before the agreement, CMA CGM’s vessels had started calling at PTP as a result of the vessel-sharing agreement with Maersk Line.

The PTP Chairman, Mr Mohd Sidik Shaik Osman, has been quoted as saying that CMA CGM had decided to have two hubs in this region, which effectively meant that the French shipping giant will continue to use Westport’s Port Klang further north near Kuala Lumpur