PTP, Port Klang to handle 21% more TEUs in 2002
The Edge Daily
Malaysia's two main ports - the Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP) and Port Klang - are projected to handle 7.1 million TEUs (20-foot equivalent units) of containers in 2002, or 21 per cent higher compared with 5.85 million TEUs in 2001.
PTP chief executive officer Mohd Sidik Shaik Osman said on Oct 17 that PTP is forecast to handle 2.50 million TEUs this year up from the 2.05 million TEUs throughput a year ago.
The main reason for the growth in PTP's volume is due to the shift of the Taiwanese carrier Evergreen Marine hub from Singapore to PTP in the third quarter this year. Besides Evergreen, PTP's other major customer is Maersk-Sealand.
In his paper "Malaysian ports serving as hubs for the Asia region" Sidik said the two terminal operators -- Northport and Westport -- are likely to handle 2.5 million TEUs and 2.10 million TEUs respectively this year as compared with 2.3 million TEUs and 1.5 million TEUs in 2001.
He was speaking at the one-day Maritime Institute Malaysia (Mima)- Global Maritime Ventures (GMV) joint conference on Intra-Asean Shipping and Port Development.