Tanjung Pelepas may overtake Port Klang
New Straits Times
There is a strong possibility that the Tanjung Pelepas Port may overtake Port Klang as the country’s future premier port, according to the Transport Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ling Liong Sik.
He said although PTp was projected to handle two million TEUs as against Port Klang’s 3.5 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) by year-end, the PTP’s rates of increase in volume handled had surpassed that of Port Klang only after two years of operations.
“PTP may likely take over Port Klang one day, there is a possibility,” he told reporters after opening a conference in Kuala Lumpur yesterday on “Managing Logistics and Supply Chain Towards Improving Profit and Enhancing Competitive Edge”.
It was organized by the Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute.
Dr Ling said PTP is one of the world’s fastest-growing transshipment port and has managed to attract leading sea liners to use it.
Maersk Sealand, the world’s number one cargo carrier has shifted its services from Singapore to PTP besides taking 30 per cent stake in port equity.
Dr Ling said the Sept 11 attacks on New York’s World Trade Center had not affected the performance of Malaysian ports going by the volume handled by Port Klang rising from 324,000 TEUs in September to 343,000 TEUs in October.
“If this trend continues, we should reach 3.7 or 3.8 million TEUs this year,” he said.
By the end of the year, Port Klang could joint the rank of the top 10 ports in the world, he said. Currently, Port Klang ranked 12th.
He said it was also encouraging to see Port Klang’s transshipment boxes continuing to grow from 162,000 TEUs in September to 170,000 TEUs in October this year.
Earlier, in his speech Dr Ling said following the Government’s policy of ensuring speedy inflow and outflow of cargo and passengers, there was no longer congestion or delays at both airports and ports.
In the last five years alone, cargo handled in Malaysia had tripped from two million boxes to more than six million boxes to more than six million boxes, he said.
“Shipping lines and airlines are forming alliances,” he said.