PTP claims regional strength
Fairplay Shipping Weekly
THE arrival of Evergreen Marine at Tanjung Pelepas (PTP) will put the port in a "strong position regionally," CEO Mohd Sidik Shaik Osman said this week. He was commenting on the impact of Evergreen’s decision to shift its regional transhipment hub from Singapore to PTP, bringing more than 1M TEU a year to the rapidly growing facility.
"The key factors behind PTP’s success are its efficiency and its ability to cater to customer requirements," Shaik Osman told Fairplay. Although he pointed out that gross moves per hour per crane had reached an "excellent" level of 30, surprisingly he did not refer to the port’s low box handling rates. Evergreen said that rates, believed to be nearly half those charged in Singapore, were the prime consideration in its decision to hub at PTP.
Shaik Osman said Evergreen’s arrival would enable PTP to further build on its feeder connectivity, local volumes and distribution park.
The port administration has made significant efforts to attract main lines, but the next target has not been revealed. South Korea’s Hanjin Shipping confirmed it was watching Pelepas and moves by other lines, but denied that it was in negotiations.