Tanjung Pelepas raise the stakes with phase II
Malaysia’s rapidly growth Port of Tanjung Pelepas plans to start construction of its M$1.2bn phase II next month so it can be ready for another big customer by the end of 2003.
“We will be constructing our additional berths beginning almost this month, Mohd Sidik Shaik Osman, chief executive officer of Tanjung Pelepas told Llyod’s List.
“We are reclaiming eight berths so we are on standby to handle any large customers interested in us. At present the port’s spare capacity under phase one has limited windows and cold only accommodate a medium sized customer.
The news that the Malaysian port is to start on phase II comes just one month after it clinched a deal with Evergreen Marine to shift its transhipment hub from Singapore to PTP at the end of August this year. Mohd Sidik described Evergreen’s decision to shift to the port as ‘Absolutely, very significant’ breaking the external perception that it is a single user port.
Maersk Sealand shifted its 2m teu transhipment hub to PTP in 2000 when it acquired a 30% stake in the fledgling port.
Initially the port will build two berths at cost of around M$200m split roughly evenly between berth construction and container handling equipmen