“PTP is always expanding and always bullish (about its performance) and we expect that we will secure new customers (in 2004), so we are expecting further growth to more than 3.5 million TEUs,” he said in an interview.

He declined, however, to name the potential new customers or give a specific forecast for 2004.

PTP expects a 30% growth in throughput this year to 3.5 million TEUs, following a 30% increase to 2.66 million TEUs in 2002, which beat its own estimate of 2.5 million. In 2001, the port handled 2.05 million TEUs.
Sidik said that 2003 would reflect PTP’s first full year of operations with Evergreen Marine Corp, which started calling at the port in late August last year.

Danish company Maersk Sealand is expected to ship 2.2–2.3 million TEUs through the port this year, Evergreen 1.0–1.1 million TEUs, with feeder services accounting for the balance.

“PTP’s strength has always been ... its ability to cater to liner needs and a high rate of crane and vessel productivity. It is this overall efficiency that has determined our ability to compete,” Sidik said, citing the port’s turnaround average of 30–31 moves an hour per crane.

As part of measures to boost growth, PTP is developing a “distripark,” or what Sidik calls “the land behind the port,” and also promoting ancillary port services such as bunkering and ship channelling.

The distripark is a 400-acre free trade zone for distribution, logistics and warehousing activities for regional operations and distribution centres. An additional 600 acres have been reserved for industrial activity.

Sidik said the idea was to set up an area for logistics and for businesses to warehouse and track movement of goods before shipping them to their respective end-markets.

The development of the distripark is still at an early stage with some 20%–30% take-up currently but PTP is in talks with interested investors to locate on the site.

Sidik said PTP was offering “a very competitive environment” to promote the distripark but declined to disclose details. – AFX