ASEAN Ports Association Malaysia (MAPA)

KUCHING, Jan 11 (Bernama) — The Tanjung Manis Integrated Port is to become the primary import and export gateway for Sarawak central region when it begins full operations by next year.

The port, a subsidiary of Sarawak Timber Industry Development Corporation (STIDC) and appointed by Rajang Port Authority as its port operator in Tanjung Manis new township, had shown encouraging performance since commencing operations in July last year.

As at October 2009, it had received 11 vessels and handled 2,383 TEUs (twenty equivalent units) containers, said STIDC general manager and Tanjung Manis Integrated Port chairman Datuk Len Talif Salleh in the latest issue of Perkasa, the bi-monthly newsletter published by the corporation.

Currently, the port accesssible to 20,000 GRT (gross register tonnage) vessels, has the capacity to handle up to 200,000 tonnes of general cargo and 25,000 TEUs containers a year.

He said the existing 203-metre wharf would be extended by 200 metres to enable the port to handle an anual capacity of 200,000 TEUs of containers and six million tonnes of general cargo by next year.

When fully operational, the port is expected to be equipped with state-of-the-art cargo-handling facilities such as quay cranes, mobile harbour cranes, rubber-type gantry cranes and reach stackers, said Len.

He said the port was envisaged to play a pivotal role in the shipping industry with the completion of the Sibu-Tanjung Manis road by this year and support the various industries in the hinterland, particularly the Tanjung Manis Halal Hub and other projects planned under the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE).

“With better facilities and a team of dedicated and experienced workforce, Tanjung Manis port promises efficient services apart from reducing vessel turnaround time due to its closeness to the sea,” he said.

Len said the port’s strategic location and natural deep water complemented its role as the central region’s transshipment hub.

Meanwhile, the 77,000-hectare Tanjung Manis Halal Hub is expected to attract at least RM9 billion worth of investments for upstream and downstream halal food processing activities, which will create about 10,000 jobs, besides other economic spin-offs.

BUTTERWORTH: (NBCT) last month handled 92,439 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), which is the highest volume achieved in a single month in its 35-year history, said Penang Port Sdn Bhd general manager Obaid Mansor.

“The average volume of cargo handled in a month is between 77,000 and 87,000 TEUs.

“In August last year, NBCT handled 85,505 TEUs and in August 2007, it was 78,624 TEUs,” Obaid told StarBiz, adding that it handled 87,879 TEUs in July.

He said NBCT was now optimistic the total volume of cargo handled this year would not decline by 5.5% as forecast in July.

“Cargo-handling activities in the fourth quarter should remain stable and NBCT should handle as much cargo this year as it did in 2008, which was 929,000 TEUs.

“We expect a lot of cargo such as furniture products and consumer electrical goods such as televisions, washing machines and refrigerators to arrive at NBCT in the fourth quarter, as wholesalers in the north would be stocking up to prepare for the festive season,” he said.

Obaid said the increased cargo-handling activities in August was due to a number of factors.

These include the greater volume of rubber-based cargo from southern Thailand exported via NBCT to other parts of Asia, the higher imports of steel scrap by steel mills in the north, and a bigger volume of empty containers coming from the Middle East and India.

“Empty containers comprised about 25% of the volume handled. They generate revenue as NBCT levies handling charges on their owners,” he said.

Export of rubber-based cargo and import of steel scrap were key indicators that the economy in the region was picking up, Obaid said.

“It shows that the effects of the stimulus packages are already kicking in. The import of steel scrap is an indicator that development projects in the north are resuming.”

Obaid said NBCT expected to handle over 80,000 TEUs of cargo this month.

He said the slight drop was expected as the bulk of restocking activities had taken place in August.

“The new seven post-Panamax gantry cranes worth RM175mil, coming in October, will increase the volume of cargo handled annually to over one million TEUs,” he said.

The cranes would be put into action in the second quarter next year, he added.

By : David Tan

PENANG Port Sdn Bhd (PPSB) is carrying out a rebranding exercise which will see it enhancing its facilities and services to clients while positioning its entire port operations under a new image.

Its managing director, Datuk Ahmad Ibnihajar said the entire rebranding process will not only involve the services the port is offering but also the image, delivery and the work structure of the organisation and its employees.

He said the changes are in order for PPSB to play a bigger role in driving the region’s logistics industry, in line with the government’s aspirations to make Penang the logistics hub for the Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER).

When met by Bernama recently, he said that PPSB so far has identified several image solutions that were suited for the company to adopt for its rebranding exercise and hoped to finalise them by the first quarter of next year.

A rebranding programme could then be carried out to give workers a fresh inspiration and encourage them to work harder and make Penang Port relevant to the region’s logistics industry.

“We also want to attract users in the northern region including Southern Thailand to use the Penang Port as a main hub for exporting halal products to the rest of the world,” Ahmad said.

He said PPSB was also working to attract bigger ships from the Middle East and India to use the Penang Port as their cargo delivery and loading centre in the future.

“To enable the bigger ships to call here, we need to deepen the Pulau Pinang Straits and this will need a huge amount of money,” he said.

Ahmad also said that people often had a wrong view of PPSB and thought of it as being only a provider of ferry services and used the services to measure the entire capability of the company.

“That is not accurate, as besides the ferry (services), we are also involved in cargo handling, landing of cruise ships and others. We recorded profit in all the other services except the ferry services,” he added. – Bernama

By: btimes.com.my

Johor Port Berhad (JPB) manages and operates Johor Port in Pasir Gudang, Johor.  In the late 1960’s, the Malaysian Government had responded to the increasing  demands for a port to be established independent of a foreign port.  Thus, Johore Port was established with facilities adequate for the handling of local cargo and managed by Federal Government.  As the industrial hinterland expanded Johor Port began to further develop its facilities and was gazetted as a Free Zone in the early 1980’s.  It was the first port in Malaysia gazetted as a Free Zone following the multiplying benefits to attract more cargo and businesses.

Johore Port handles all port-related activities including terminal management, cargo handling, storage and warehousing, logistics and marine operations.  JPB offers the facilities for multiple modes of cargo, including break bulk (general cargo), dry bulk, liquid bulk and containerised cargo.

Users benefits from value-added

While terminal management and cargo handling remains the Company’s primary business, Johor Port prides itself in offering and extensive range of non-traditional port activities and value-added services for its customers.  This includes the running of the Free Zone within which Johor Port is located.  Johor Port’s control of its Free Zone services allows it to extend its scope of business and further extend the range of services to its customers.

Minister of Transport Visits Johor Port

Furthermore, having met the stringent requirements such as good security, efficient Free Zone management and excellent multi-purpose facilities, Johor Port is currently one of only four ports in Asia listed on the London Metal Exchange (LME).  The LME is the world’s largest trading platform for non-ferrous metals, and Johor Port is a safe point of storage and distribution of seven such metals: zinc, copper, lead, tin, nickel, aluminium alloy and base aluminium.

The Port also handles all marine operations within its water limits, including pilotage to private jetties, ship-to-ship transfers, salvage operations and the like, Land-based logistics Sdn. Bhd. (JPL).  JPL also operates all intra-port cargo movement.  JPL itself is expanding its total logistics operations to achieve its aim of becoming a major regional logistics player.  Working in synergistically, JPB and JPL form a comprehensive package of services to supplement the users’ supply and distribution chains.

Fully integrated ICT for speedy processing

Johor Port’s operations are managed through various web-based computer applications that allow for speedy transactions between the user and JPB.  The Johor Port Container Terminal System (JCTS) was recently launched as the beginning of a multi-phase implementation of a fully integrated system that will cover the majority of operations at Johor Port.  This system will incorporate the existing Free Zone Information Processing  System (FZIPS) and Marine Services System (MSS) together with the upcoming Multi-Purpose Terminal System (MPTS), which will manage non-container operations, and Port Safety Management System (PSMS), which will manage safety and security at Johor Port.  The ultimate aim of the integrated system is to provide a paperless and streamlined working environment that will substantially reduce operating time and costs for both Johor Port and its users.

Latest Developments

As Ports globally are increasingly competitive, Johor Port in its quest for higher efficiency and productivity, has been undertaking some intense development work.  The development covers operations facilities, support facilities and infrastructure as well as overall aesthetics.

One of the main upgrades is the revamping of the main entrance control.  Previous Customs checkpoint was demolished and replace.  Johor Port’s own security checkpoints also replace with new, dedicated checkpoints for individual entry to Container Terminal and Breakbulk Terminal.  These checkpoints and equipped with CCTV and centralised communications as well as basic utilities.

Facilities for port safety were also upgraded, with the JPB Port Safety Department office being expanded and renovated to house the Fire & Rescue under one roof.  A new Security Service Centre is now available to provide pleasant and professional ambiance to cater for all security issues pertaining to entrance control.

Roads at the main entrance and key intersections were upgraded to durable, heavy-duty concrete pave.  The construction also involved creating maintenance trenches for communications cables and utilities to reduce the impact of future maintenance work on day-to-day operations at the port.  The completed the package, the landscaping in the area has also been revamped with walkways and new foliage appeasing to users and visitors of the Port, thus making the environment suitably convenient and conducive for businesses.

On the operations, JPB has procured several new cranes, some of which have already been deployed recently.  Three new Rubber Tyre Gantry Cranes (RTG’s) began operations at the Container Terminal in late 2005, with three more to come in 2007.  Also in early 2007, a new Post-Panamax Gantry Crane will be delivered for wharf operations in the Container Terminal, increasing the total number of wharf cranes at the terminal to eight in total.  A bulk-handling crane was also delivered in the middle of 2006 to improve productivity at the Bulk and Break Bulk terminal.  Warehouses are all fully upgraded and built in 2006, making the total covered storage area for Bulk and Break Bulk to 1.5 million square feet in total.

For the users and seafarers, the Port has conveniently provided place, a mariner centre to converge for meetings or pleasures.  With a bank, clinic, a meeting room, a recreational lounge, a gift shop, a restaurant and three cafes, the mariner centre will be a great place for the Port users to rest and relax as well as conduct important business discussions.  The mariner centre also houses JPB Training Centre and a private marine training centre.

“THE PORT FACTOR – Chairman Message”

Capt. Abdul Rahim Akob, General Manager of Bintulu Port Authority & Chairman of MAPA

Forging Malaysian Ports’ Business Synergies

I’m delighted to announce the inaugural issue of “The Port Factor”, an offical publication of the Asean Ports
Association Malaysia (MAPA). The newsletter is aimed to stimulate interest and to keep readers abreast with
the Malaysian ports and shipping industry such as port management and operations, port planning and development, marketing, training, technology, safety and security, ships and cargo handling.

Asean Ports Association Malaysia (MAPA) was formed some years ago and was subsequently registered under the acronym MAPA as a non-governmental association early this year, comprising of founding members from a total of 17 Malaysian port authorities and operators. MAPA’s primary objectives are two-pronged i.e. to give ports in Malaysia with a vehicle for national cooperation in port development, operations and management, and to promote and protect the interests of member ports.

MAPA is to specifically promote the exchange of data and information on shipping and cargo traffic amongst Malaysian ports, cooperation in port operations and management, develop and maintain close relationship with other regional or national ports associations or international port related associations, and to undertake other activities as are incidental or conducive to the attainment of the said objectives.

Ports in Malaysia have become an important crux in forging economic and business networks and alliances between Malaysia and developing countries. Business networking are becoming essential strategies for Malaysian ports as the process of globalisation and market liberation pose both challenges and opportunities for the nation and for business community. The port sector has always played a major role in the development of national economies. The attractiveness of ports is no longer based on strategic location but on the provision of efficient and prompt services, excellent land infrastructure and sea transport networks. Ports have become commercial centres and manufacturing gateways.

In this respect, MAPA is working in tandem with the developments in Malaysia’s external trade and new economic linkages. Ports are potential investment destinations, either to set up manufacturing projects or other business establishments. Thus being an effective vehicle, MAPA’s outreach will be more extensive and in this process shall be forging synergistic collaboration with trade associations and business councils in order to facilitate information exchange, commercialisation, building a more cohesive partnership and business networking. These will directly contribute not only cargo growth amongst Malaysian ports but industrial developments as well.

Nevertheless, MAPAwill harness our collective creativity, forging ahead with market-driven visions and charting roadmaps for developing, promoting and enhancing Malaysian ports capacities and capabilities in expanding opportunities and building business synergies. Ports will be growing in size and complexity of businesses, and one important asset that needs to be nurtured and enhanced will be the human resource. Ports need to share and improve its human resources and must continuously be at the forefront in its practices particularly when competing globally. This is where I hope that it could be the binding force to forge a strong and successful grouping.