ASEAN Ports Association Malaysia (MAPA)

NCB Holdings Bhd expects the construction of Wharf 8A in Port Klang by its subsidiary Northport (Malaysia) Bhd to be operational in September this year.

NCB Holdings chairman Tun Ahmad Sarji Abdul Hamid said Northport would be able to gradually handle close to 5.6 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of containers once the wharf is completed.

“Wharf 8A, which will inject an additional container handling capacity of 600,000 TEUs, is important for Northport to retain its customers.

“The wharf will contribute to the efforts in strengthening the institutional capacity at Northport,” he told a media briefing on the progress of Wharf 8A at Northport here today.

Wharf 8A, which forms part of Container Terminal 4 at Northport involving an investment of nearly RM350 million, will be able to berth vessels with deeper draft of up to 17 metres which in turn will improve connectivity.

The wharf, together with the planned re-development of container wharves eight, nine and 10, will eventually offer seamless container wharf configuration to support ultra large vessels (14,000 TEUs and above) which are being deployed by main line operators currently.

Ahmad Sarji said the contractors of the wharf took three mitigation plans to ensure the smooth progress of the wharf including increasing the number of workers, extending the working hours and having additional team to work from southern end of the wharf.

He said he was confident in the integrity part of the wharf structure based on the proven track record shown by the contractor.

Ahmad Sarji said Northport aimed to handle about 3.4 million TEUs of containers this year compared with 3.09 million TEUs last year. BERNAMA

Terminal operator Penang Port Sdn Bhd (PPSB) will be roping in 30 additional skilled personnel to handle vital port machinery next year, as part of efforts to boost productivity.

The port now handles an average crane productivity of 25 TEU (20-foot equivalent unit) moves per hour compared with 35 TEU moves per hour by more productive ports.

The new recruitments will handle the port’s seven new post-panamax cranes and work the extended 1.5km berth, which is due to be completed by the middle of next year, said PPSB human resources general manager Tadzaruddin Abd Manaf.

“There will also be training involved as the cranes are specialised equipment that are crucial in speeding up our operations in container services.

“We plan to get this recruitment process started once we have determined our 2011 budget which will cater for our expansion plans at the end of the year,” he told reporters after officiating at the port’s 14th blood donation campaign, which saw the participation of 140 employees, at its office in George Town yesterday. PPSB employs 1,760 people.

The port is currently undergoing expansion plans, which include the extension of the port’s existing 900m wharf to another 600m, and the deepening of the North Channel among others, to increase its productivity as an international port.

Tadzaruddin said the port has spent about RM1.6 billion over the past five years on infrastructure development, mainly for its North Butterworth Container Terminal.

“With improvements to our infrastructure and online system, we expect business to pick up. Last month alone, we handled 96,000 TEUs.

“For this month, things are looking well. Hopefully, by the end of the year we will be able to reach our one million-TEU target, make RM300 million in revenue and move forward in our efforts to join the big leagues like Port Klang that handles four million TEUs a year,” he said.

PPSB handled a total of 958,476 TEUs last year, compared with 929,639 TEUs in 2008.

The port was ranked 64th in the world this year, 36 places above its last year’s position at 100.

Tadzaruddin said PPSB will work towards improving its international ranking, or at least maintain its performance.

“We are on the right track in serving our customers locally and internationally. We are expecting business to increase in 2011,” he said.

By: Looi Sue-Chern

It will reactivate berth expansion plan on economic recovery

PETALING JAYA: NCB Holdings Bhd projects a volume increase of 10% to 15% and will reactivate its expansion plan at Northport (M) Bhd this year in line with the current economic recovery trends.

Northport, a port operating subsidiary of NCB, posted a 5% decline in volume to 2.9 million twenty-foot equivalents units (TEUs) last year due to the global economic downturn.

Chairman Tun Ahmad Sarji Abdul Hamid said the positive volume outlook this year was for containerised and conventional cargo.

We only expand to commensurate the business that we have: NCB HOLDINGS BHD CHAIRMAN TUN AHMAD SARJI ABDUL HAMID

“And since there are perceptible trends in economic recovery, the group has decided to reactivate the expansion of berth 8A this year,” he told reporters after the company AGM yesterday.

The expansion of berth 8A or container terminal 3 is part of Northport’s RM585mil five-year expansion plan announced in 2008. The project was postponed due to the global economic meltdown.

Ahmad Sarji said works on berth 8A would commence in two months for completion in about 18 months.

“The capital expenditure (capex) on the project has been revised where the cost will be determined by tendered price.

“Northport will continue to be prudent. We only expand to commensurate the business that we have and to retain our customers,” he said, adding that Northport’s 30-year lease agreement would expire in 2013 and it was doing the necessary to renew the lease.

Northport managing director and chief executive officer Datuk Basheer Hassan Abdul Kader said the revised capex on berth 8A was line with the drop in raw materials prices and construction cost.

He also forecast closing the port’s first quarter this year with a 24% year-on-year volume increase.

“But, it must be noted that the previous corresponding period was the worst quarter that the port recorded last year in tandem with the global economic downturn,” he said.

On NCB’s other business in container haulage and logistics via Kontena Nasional Bhd (KN), Ahmad Sarji said the company now was on the fast track to fully utilise its sizeable assets in an effort to move into third-party logistics (3PL) business.

“The move into 3PL is considered a natural progression for a haulage company like KN. Besides our prime movers, we also have over three million sq ft of open yard and 500,000 sq ft covered warehouse.

“About 50% to 60% of our 3PL customers last year were our current haulage customers,” he said.

NCB recorded a 12.1% drop in total revenue to RM831.4mil in its last financial year ended Dec 31.

However, its pre-tax profit was 2.3% higher at RM167.9mil.

NCB has also declared final and special dividend of 21 sen per share.

Northport recorded a pre-tax profit of RM148mil on revenue of RM611.9mil last year.

Meanwhile, KN posted a pre-tax profit of RM9.7mil and revenue of RM219.5mil for the year under review.

The North Butterworth Container Terminal (NBCT) registered some 13% increase in the volume of cargo it handled in October.

NBCT handled 94,570 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in October, compared with 83,103 TEUs in September.

Penang Port Sdn Bhd general manager Obaid Mansor told StarBiz that the higher cargo volume was driven by goods from southern Thailand, rise in local businesses’ imports and exports, and an increase in the volume of empty containers from India and the Middle-East.

“We are confident of achieving our target of 930,000 TEUs by the year-end, matching the volume of cargo handled in 2008,” he said.

On the expansion of NBCT, he said the work to extend the 900m berth to 1,500m would be completed a year earlier.

“The original schedule for completion was October 2011. We have finished adding 400m to the berth,” he said.

He also said NBCT had already received four of the seven post-Panamax gantry cranes that it had ordered. “The other three cranes will arrive in the first week of December. Each crane costs RM25mil,” he said.

By: The Star Online

THE delayed RM55.4mil Port Swettenham expansion project will be completed in September, says Penang Port Commission (PPC) chairman Tan Cheng Liang.

She says PPC is managing the project, which is 86% completed.

“The main building, now 99% completed, will accommodate shops, a Customs inspection and quarantine centre, and sufficient space for 40 taxis and five buses to pick up passengers.

“After that, the main contractor (of the project) will have to issue a two-year warranty for the entire project,” she told a press conference yesterday.

Tan Cheng Liang with an artist’s impression of the extended Port Swettenham pier.

The expansion, to enable international cruise liners with over 3,000 passengers to berth at Port Swettenham, was originally scheduled for completion by November 2007, 18 months after it kicked off in May 2006.

Due to technical problems related to design and finance faced by the main contractor, PPC extended the deadline to late last year.

“Since they were still not able to meet the extended deadline, PPC has decided to manage the project jointly with the main contractor.

“This will allow PPC to deal directly with the sub-contractors. We will use some new sub-contractors to complete the more specialised aspects of the expansion,” she said.

Tan adds that another option would be to terminate the main contractor and re-tender the whole project.

“This would take time and cost the Federal Government a further RM21mil.

“The approach that we are taking offers the best solution as it ensures the port redevelopment will be ready soon to help boost the local tourism industry,” she said.

By DAVID TAN

NORTHPORT is considering to delay the upgrading of one of its wharfs due to the economic slowdown.

“I understand that Northport is considering holding back the upgrade but whether they should hold it or not is another question,” Port Klang Authority general manager Lim Thean Shiang said during a briefing in Port Klang last Tuesday.

He said certain developments were necessary to cater to continued growth even though there may not be an immediately need for it.

“During recession one can only position oneself to be ready for the up and coming growth cycle, and if we do not have the adequate facilities available, how do we capitalise on such opportunities?” Lim said.

He said Port Klang would monitor the situation and hold consultations with ports on issues involving the development of the ports.

Northport managing director and chief executive officer Datuk Basheer Hassan Abdul Kader was quoted as saying in November last year that it would keep its RM500 million expansion plans on track.

The plan includes the development of a 350m container berth, bringing the container quayline at the port to a total of 3.4km.

By : btimes.com.my