PORT KLANG: Container volume moving through Westports Malaysia Sdn Bhd rose by 15 per cent or 6.4 million twenty foot equivalent units (TEUs) last year, compared with 5.6 million TEUs in 2010.
In a statement, Westports said the better-than-expected container volume throughput comes from both transhipment and indigenous boxes, registering positive increases of 22 per cent and 13 per cent respectively.
The robust performance in 2011 has made Westports one of the fastest growing ports in the world.
“The port has been well-known to the shipping industry as one of world’s best productivity terminal operator in container handling.
“Barring unforeseen circumstances, we expect to see a strong growth trend in volumes moving forward albeit uncertainty in eurozone, we have set a target of seven million TEUs in 2012,” Westports chief executive officer Ruben Emir Gnanalingam said.
Ruben said expansion plan to further improve the port’s capacity is underway with the current development of expanding the existing 3,700m container terminal to 4,600m, making Westports Malaysia a 10-million-TEU handling capacity port within the next two years.
The new terminal is designed to handle 18,000-TEU capacity vessel, which will be the largest container vessel in the world come 2013.
He said the company’s investment in expansion works is to accommodate the needs of its customers as well as meeting the increasing demands of domestic and international trade.
by: Business Times
