ASEAN Ports Association Malaysia (MAPA)

Northport (M) Bhd will decide by October the financial instrument it will use to raise RM1 billion for its expansion, said Chief Executive Officer Abi Sofian Abdul Hamid.

He said the company was looking at the options of raising the money via the stock market or Islamic bonds, sukuk amid the volatility of Bursa Malaysia and the weakening ringgit against the greenback.

“The fund is needed to upgrade the port infrastucture as the wharfs were over 30 years old. We are the oldest port in Port Klang. We are now looking at the wharf requirements for the next 30 years,” he said.

Abi Sofian said this at a media briefing after the launch of the port’s electronic port pass system and Web-based client access system here Tuesday.

He said it was a challenge to meet the company’s five per cent growth target this year under the current economic conditions.

“This year, Northport is looking to handle about three million TEUS (twenty-foot equivalent unit) of containers compared with 3.09 million TEUs last year,” he said.

On the port’s Electronic Pass System, Abi Sofian said he hoped the new application created by its Information System Division would eliminate the hassle of applying for a port pass among its clients.BERNAMA

The maritime sector is expected to achieve up to RM19 billion profit and provide over 55,000 jobs in 2020, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said today.

Najib said he was confident that the industry would thrust Malaysia as a nation that has the capabilities not only in the petroleum automotive industry but also venture into building high technology ships.

“The construction of the dredger “Inai Kenanga” can be classified as a high-impact project,” he said at the launch of the biggest ship in Asia and third largest in the world, here.

The close to RM1 billion Inai Kenanga was built by Selat Melaka Shipbuilding Corporation Sdn Bhd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Inai Kiara Sdn Bhd.

The dredger has a market price of RM1.2 billion.

Najib said the ship was built in tandem with the Economic Transformation Plan and an entry point project as it provided a big impact to the country’s economy particularly in realising government efforts to transform the country into an advanced nation.

The prime minister said the government was constantly finding, identifying and developing sectors with good potential.

“The maritime sector, especially involving shipbuilding and ship maintenance work, is one of the industries accorded priority by the government,” he said.

Najib said big and efficient ports in and outside the country really needed dredgers of this size.

According to an appendix published by MIGHT — Maritime Industry Report 2013 — the government projected that shipbuilding and ship repair would rake in more than RM7 billion. BERNAMA

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