PTP details port expansion plan

Johor: The Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP), Malaysia's largest container operator, has affirmed its ambitious expansion plan, citing the highly competitive container port business as the main driver for the expansion.

The expansion project, costing MYR1.4bn ($450.74m), involves building two new berths, three blocks of container yards, purchase of new cranes, as well as electrifying existing rubber-tyred gantries (E-RTGS).

Construction works on the new berths measuring 720 metres have already started and slated for completion in May 2014.

The expansion will raise PTP's annual handling capacity by 25% to 10.5m teu and increase the number of berths to 14 with total quay length of 5km. This will complete Phase 2 of PTP's master plan.

The new berths and equipment will be able to handle the Maersk Line Triple-E vessels of 18,000 teu capacity, PTP pointed out.

"PTP has seen volume grew at an average 13% per annum since it began commercial operations in year 2000, contributing to economic and social benefits to Johor state and the Iskandar Malaysia region," said Mohd Sidik Shaik Osman, chairman of PTP.

"We are currently in the planning stage of Phase 3 which we will initially construct three berths of 1.5km for completion by 2018," he said.

In 2012, PTP handled 7.7m teu of boxes, and it is targeting a volume growth of approximately 6% this year to bring annual throughput to above 8m teu.