PTP wins green terminal award

THE Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP) was named winner of the 2012 Frost & Sullivan Asia-Pacific "Green Terminal Operator of the Year" award part of the agency's annual best practices awards, which identify exemplary achievements within a multitude of industries and functional disciplines.

PTP deputy chief executive officer Azlan Shahrim said: "It is indeed an honour to receive this award, the result of the employees' collective effort." He said they have done a remarkable job to help PTP reduce environmental and energy footprints using sustainable business processes.

The "Green Excellence" awards are awarded to companies that demonstrate significant progress in enhancing long-term sustainability and managing the environmental impact of their operations, resulting in measurable improvements in their overall environmental performance.

"With more than 8,000 vessel calls and handling over 7.5 million TEUs (20-foot equivalent units of containers) last year, and further increases this year, the port's energy demands are considerable. So, reducing the amount of diesel fuel consumed and lowering carbon dioxide emissions continue to be a high priority," he said.

Going forward, PTP will continue to help the environment by combating pollution and reducing waste.

"Beyond the major focus on fuel usage, the port is reducing inefficient energy use and recycling where possible and continuously investing in new equipment and implementing new techniques to make operational practices more planet-friendly," he added.

PTP is ranked 17th globally in container throughput for handling 7.5 million TEUs last year.

The port is a major global transshipment hub located on the Straits of Johor to the north of the Port of Singapore.

The port, which saw its container traffic grew by 15% last year, will undergo significant expansion which includes RM1.4 billion investment over the next three years for the construction of two ne\fc berths and installation of larger cranes and related equipment to accommodate 18,000 TEU capacity vessels.