Its Chief Executive Officer Mohd Sidik Shaik Osman said PTP, being a new port, experienced good growth in the first six months of this year and now in the third quarter, its volumes had grown despite the uncertain climate.

 

“Our versatility comes with early preparedness. The growth is due largely to various measures put in by the port since late last year,” he said.

 

Sidik said PTP believed that a port could drive forward business to all users despite shippers having more direct relationship with lines and third-party players.

 

He said it was with this driving force in the field of getting new business that had helped them grow in volume.

 

“When we expect to lose market share in key markets, the approach should be re-strategise on smaller but niche new areas, ensuring that we also do not lose focus on reapproaching the key markets when the timing is right.

 

“This together with a dynamic marketing campaign which targeted large shippers and buyers overseas, local markets, and large international procurement centers and regional distribution centers, have enabled PTP to experience growth in both transhipment and local cargo volumes.

 

“Each small cycle and step in this direction has helped offset other weak areas affected by the economy,” said Sidik.

 

With these steps, Sidik said PTP was confident of its ability to meet its 2mil-TEU target for this year.

 

He agreed that the current economic situation appeared gloomy but the difficulty for all businesses was the greater uncertainty looming over the industry.

 

On claims by transporters such as hauliers that’s they were hard hit by the slowdown and that the impressive throughput figures announced by ports did not reflect the actual situation (because a huge number of the boxes are transshipment boxes that never leaves the port vicinity), Sidik said it would be difficult to ascertain this.

 

He said it was true all major Malaysian ports were now handling an increasing portion f transshipment containers and there was still significant spin-off through reconsolidation of transhipment cargo, assembly from local ports and so on.

 

“If local exports and imports are indeed decreasing, the new business created especially in a new port like PTP will certainly result in positive benefits for local players.” On the negative impact of the US crisis, Sidik said for PTP, it would be business as usual.

 

“While it is too early to forecast any impact on the industry as a whole, any loss due to a weakening market segment must by offset by finding new market areas,” he added.