With 130 calls made until April 30, 2000 including three of the world's S-Class vessels with a 347 metre length, (Skagen Maersk, Clifford Maersk and Cornelius Maersk), PTP is fairly satisfied with the January - April throughput.

PTP in a press release said gross productivity levels in the four-month period averaged 27 moves per hour per crane.

Shipping lines that called in this period were Hub Line with their regular services to Indo China and the Indian Sub Continent and Maersk Sealand, which has been calling at PTP as an empty repositioning centre.

PTP record showed that 17,899 TEUs in the four-month period was transhipment cargo, which made up about 50% of the total throughput.

The remaining throughput was local export and import cargo.

PTP positively views this balance as an indication that the Johor hinterland potential is still largely untapped and still significantly feedered to other regional ports.

PTP believes that with Mitsui OSK Lines secured with a fixed weekly calling which began from April 30, 2000 onwards, quarter two will see even increased local cargo movement.

Nevertheless, PTP is still focused on main line transhipment and is confident that once it builds the connectivity in Intra Asia routes, their back-up port services will also followsuit.

A contributing factor at PTP for shippers in PTP's fully integrated information technology (IT) system where all pre-clearance of cargo is done through the IT system thereby ensuring seamless import and export flow through the main gate.

Vessels are also worked on immediately on arrival without delay due to clearance.

The release said Star Cruises has also begun daily calls at PTP thereby contributing towards PTP's long term goal as a complete maritime centre serving all industries.

Although the focus is on container transhipment, PTP believes that Star Cruises, by attracting customers from Singapore, Johor and Malacca, would help towards PTP's brand building efforts.

On the land side, the first four months were largely spent on ensuring that the first Distribution Warehouse was completed on time.

The release said PTP had also outsourced the management and operations of this warehouse in an ongoing tender.

PTP Distripark Phase One, as a result of this, is currently a focus with parties interested to use PTP's Distribution Warehouse as a nucleus point to build up cargo at the port.

The port is currently also holding talks with several main line operators and international terminal operators including Dubai Ports Authority where discussions on possible collaboration in free zone development and other areas are ongoing.

PTP's first three months of trial operations at PTP began on October 10, 1999 and it ended with the port handling 20,471 TEU