ASEAN Ports Association Malaysia (MAPA)

THE year 2010 will be a big year for Penang Port.

The extension to its container wharf will be completed and the six new cranes built by ZPMC and delivered in December 2009 will commence service.

As the Penang Port managing director Datuk Ahmad Ibnihajar puts it: “There will be new operational options including on wharf storage serviced by high speed rail mounted gantry cranes, a new access bridge to the wharf and more storage yard space.”

Business overview

For the next three years, the Penang Port will continue to embark on its capacity building and productivity improvement to support its aim to be a premier port and logistics chain integrator in the IMT-GT economic region as well as for Bay of Bengal.

As container handling will continue to be its main revenue contributor, the Penang Port has invested more than RM1 billion for a few major projects since 2008.

North ButterworthContainer Terminal (NBCT) Phase 3

The expansion of NBCT Phase 3 will be undertaken in two phases.

Phase 3A – The first phase in the expansion of dedicated container terminal will include a new 600-metre wharf extension to the existing 900-metre wharf.

A new decking area for export container and support by a third access bridge is under construction.

This project is expected to be completed ahead of schedule before end of 2010.

Phase 3B – Construction of a new back stacking area to the existing 900-metre wharves.

To compliment this expansion project, the Penang Port has taken delivery of seven ZMPC Post-Panamax cranes.

Four cranes were delivered in November 2009, while the remainder arrived in early December.

The cranes, which cost RM25 million each, were delivered fully assembled. A Post-Panamax crane can reach 18 rows of containers on board a ship.

The new cranes with its twin-lift capabilities will speed up handling operations as it can pick up two containers at a time.

In line with these new projects, productivity at the port will be enhanced with a new target of crane productivity at more than 25 moves per hour per crane.

With this expansion plan in place and supported by a programme to deepen the access channel at north channel, to be carried out in 2011, it will enable Penang Port to attract more mainline call and direct services.

The port can be positioned as a regional transshipment hub and upgraded to be one of the major container ports in Bay of Bengal.

Cargo services

“The Penang Port continues to build its capacity to cater for existing and potential growth in bulk cargo,” said Ahmad.

“We are also in the midst of planning to re-develop the old Prai wharf into a fully dedicated modern bulk terminal to handle limestone, iron ore and cement clinkers.

“The amount of investment is expected to be about RM224 million,” he said.

The new terminal will be 14 metres deep and will be able to handle panamax vessels.

It will have a state-of-the-art conveyor belt, which will be linked directly to the customer’s premises.

The terminal will also be connected directly to KTMB’s national grid and will initially be expected to handle two million tonnes of bulk limestone and iron ore.

Ahmad said the Penang Port would continue to strengthen its cargo base by further increasing its land bank through the reclamation of an additional 404 hectares for various business activities and niche cargo such as free zone activities, halal hub and possibly to set up auto port and metal exchanges.

By: Lee Keng Fatt

PENANG: Bangladesh is keen to make the Penang port its sister port as part of efforts to enhance trade and relationships between the two nations, its Minister of Shipping, Shahjahan Khan, said.

He said Bangladesh, a developing country, was keen to have a greater understanding of the operations of a modern port such as the Penang port.

“We do not have any sister port and we feel that the Penang port will be ideal,” he told a media briefing after a tour of the newly-completed Swettenham Pier International Cruise Terminal here on Tuesday.

Shahjahan is leading a delegation on a visit to Penang port.

Accompanying them were Penang Port Commission chairman Tan Cheng Liang and Penang Port Sdn Bhd chairman Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahaya.

He said he would discuss the matter with Bangladesh prime minister soon.

“I hope to sign the memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Penang port soon. We are impressed with the development of the port here,” he said.

Meanwhile, Tan said she hoped the MOU could be signed soon as it would help enhance the development of the ports.

“If we sign the MOU with the port, especially Chittagong port, it will help strengthen the relationships between the two nations in terms of port operations,” she said.

She said Penang port has made a steady progress since it was privatised in 1994 and its throughput increased by 3.1 per cent to 958,476 twenty-foot equivalent (TEUs) last year from 929,639 TEUs in 2008.

Tan said the Penang port would undertake projects including the acquisition of container equipment and increase the post-Panamax gantry cranes to 16.

She said the newly-completed international passenger ship terminal at the Swettenham Pier International Cruise Terminal was expected to attract one million passenger arrivals this year.

“With the capabilty of the terminal to receive bigger ships it is expected that the number of passengers staying over in Penang will increase.

“The terminal also has facilities for ferries plying between Penang and Langkawi and between Penang and Medan, Indonesia,” she said.

The 15,000 sq ft terminal also has houses the Customs and Immigration offices and quarantine area. – Bernama

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.

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

Within the kaleidoscope of fast changing global logistics scenario, Penang Port Sdn Bhd has formulated a strategic approach to serve our customers at the peak level, in line with our new corporate vision to make Penang Port to be the PREMIER PORT AND LOGISTICS CHAIN INTEGRATOR IN THE REGION.

Under New Business Plan, for container operations, the North Butterworth Container Terminal will be expanding by another 600 meters to accommodate seven vessels at any one time.  The north channel entrance will also be dredged to 13.5 meters from the current depth of 11.5 meters to accommodate bigger drafted vessels.

In addition, the port is also planning a 1500 meter storage deck located directly to the back of the present berth.  This will enhance the handling of export containers and improve port productivity performance by up to 30%.  This deck will be able to handle 873,900 teus and together with the current capacity of 961,300 teus, total yard capacity at the port will be 1,835,200.

The new expansion plan will be equipped with six new super post panamax gantry cranes and 15 rubber tyred gantry cranes.  These new superstructures and equipment will certainly enhance our strategy of being supply driven port instead of being driven by demand.  With these new developments in plan, productivity at the port will be increased, with a new target of at 35 teus moves per hour.  The cost of construction is expected to be RM380.7 million.

Penang Port Sdn Bhd also has formulated a strategic approach to provide information services in tandem the company’s long term business plan, PELKON III, PPSB’s newest container terminal management system was official launched on 1 September 2006.  The objective is to make the port intelligent and move to   the paperless era with a host of new features and functionalities that will enable port customers to do business in an easier and faster way.

In the pipe line after marina project completion, is the development an international cruise passenger terminal at Swettenham Pier, that is estimated to cost RM65 million.  The project is already kicks off in May 2006 and targeted to complete in 2007.  The present Swettenham Pier will be upgraded as world class cruise terminal to revitalize the Georgetown Waterfront.  The scope of work involves the redeveloped of Swettenham Pier into an ultra-modern international cruise Terminal with a T-shaped berth 450 meters long and 9 meters deep.  Upon completion, the berth will be able to cater for cruise vessel carrying more than 2,000 passengers.

We believe that with these developments in place, we will be able to fulfill our customer’s expectations, thereby strengthening our market position and company performance.  Thus enhancing our capability to make Penang Port Sdn Bhd a truly regional huh for the Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand growth triangle.