Malaysia’s Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP) handled just over 3m-TEU during the first three quarters of 2004 – it’s highest ever nine month total.
 
The latest throughput figures for PTP are over 20% up on the same period last year, when the port handled 2.5m-TEU, the port claims.
 
Total throughput handled during the third quarter of 2004 was 1,015,863-teu compared with 913,370-teu in the same three-month period last year, it said.
 
Local cargo handled also continued to increase, up 16% to 122,654-teu in the first nine months of 2004 against 105,581 teu for the same period last year.
 
Transshipment volumes saw an even higher increase, up 20% with 2.9m-teu handled in the first nine months 2004 from 2.4m-teu in the same period in 2003.
 
Vessel calls increase by 49 to 2,378 for the first nine months of 2004 compared to 2,329 calls in the corresponding period in the previous year.
 
PTP attributed the rise in volumes to the continuing global economic upturn, the increasing market share of local cargo and the addition of new services.
 
The third quarter also saw the completion of berths seven and eight, part of PTP’s phase two expansion programme.
 
The two berths have added up to 1.5m-teu in handling capacity giving the port annual capacity in excess of 6m-teu.