ASEAN Ports Association Malaysia (MAPA)

JOHOR BAHARU, Dec 31 (Bernama) — The Port of Tanjung Langsat (PTL), in Pasir Gudang, will emerge as the leading chemical logistics hub in South East Asia, given the edge it has over its competitors.

Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman said the port’s advantages were obvious although it has to compete with integrated petrochemical complexes in Pahang, Terengganu, and Pulau Jurong in Singapore.

Speaking to reporters after officiating PTL’s liquid cargo berth here today, he said PTL can boost of its deepwater facility and offered a far lower cost of operation compared with other ports.

TLP is the third port in Johor, designed to complement the Port of Tanjung Pelepas and Johor Port.

Positioning itself as Southeast Asia’s premier speciality terminal, it handles bulk cargo such as liquefied petroleum gas and dangerous chemicals.

“PTL’s strategic location in South East Asia will make it the leading port for bulk liquid cargo handling.

“Besides being very spacious with a 4.5 kilometre shoreline fronting the Straits of Johor and depths of 12.8 metres, the port can accommodate large vessels,” he said.

Johor Corporation, which owns PTL, has invested RM300 million to develop five liquid cargo berths.

Its President and Chief Executive, Tan Sri Muhammad Ali Hashim, said another RM600 million would be invested to install additional berth facilities at the port.

By 2012, Johor Corporation would have invested more than RM1 billion and, todate, has invested about RM500 million to develop itself to complement the nearby Tanjung Langsat Industrial Estate.

With the completion of the PTL’s liquid cargo berth, the port can now handle 26 million metric tonnes of liquid cargo annually, making it the biggest liquid cargo port in the country and region.

The PTL berth will also serve Langsat Bulkers Sdn Bhd, a joint-venture between PTL and Felda Johor Bulkers.

As for activities at the complex, Abdul Ghani said Asiaflex Products Sdn Bhd which was in the midst of completing a RM500 million flexible pipe factory, was planning additional investments to produce high-tech “Umbilical Cords”.

Besides, South Korea’s Kiswire Neptune is planning to invest RM250 million to manufacture steel wire ropes at the integrated complex.

PASIR GUDANG: Johor Corp (JCorp) will be investing RM500mil under the second phase of the Tanjung Langsat Port expansion plan this year, said chief executive officer Tan Sri Muhammad Ali Hashim.

Two new berths measuring 500m each dedicated to the handling of general cargo would be built at the port, he said.

“It is necessary to further expand and upgrade facilities at the port to accommodate the needs of existing investors and to attract potential ones,” Ali told reporters after presenting awards to athletes of the Johor Yachting Association on Saturday.

JCorp is the parent company of port operator Tanjung Langsat Sdn Bhd (TLSB) and TMP Technopark Sdn Bhd, which is developing the 1,400ha Tanjung Langsat industrial estate.

Since 2000, TLSB has invested RM500mil in the port, equipping it with machinery to handle liquid petroleum cargo and other hazardous chemicals and building storage facilities.

Ali said the port was originally built to handle liquid petroleum-related cargo, not general or dry cargo. “However, we have to make some changes to include berths for handling general cargo as there is demand for such facilities here,” he said, adding that the port would have between 12 and 14 berths under the port’s long-term expansion plan.

Ali said to date, there were 21 local and foreign companies operating in the industrial estate with a combined total investment of RM10bil including infrastructure.

He said although the outlook for the global economy was uncertain, there remained opportunities in niche segments such as the petrochemicals industry.

JCorp will be targeting more investors from the Middle East and will join a trade delegation to the United Arab Emirates later this month, according to Ali. He said that the Middle East investors he met on his trips to the Gulf States recently had expressed their commitment to invest more in Malaysia.

“They did not want to take any more risk by putting their monies in Europe and the United States unlike before and now most of them see Malaysia as a safe haven for their investments,” he said.

By ZAZALI MUSA