Johor Port urged to look into berthing delays

Johor Port has been urged to deal with the long-standing predicament of berthing delays at its terminal by enhancing berth capacity and ensuring a level playing field for all vessels, reported Business Times.

It is learnt that Johor Port's terminal has faced this problem for more than 10 years.

The issue has become more serious this year as hundreds of vessels suffered high running costs, schedule integrity and misconnection, especially on the feederage containers for long-haul routes.

Yesterday, representatives from the Johor Port Shipping and Fowarding Association (JPSFA), Malaysian Shipowners Association, Shipping Association of Malaysia Johor chapter, Johor Freight Fowarders Association, feeder operators and Federation of Malaysia Manufacturers met to discuss the issue.

The meeting was also attended by representatives from the Johor Port Authority, which acts as the regulatory body of the terminal.

JPSFA secretary Michael Cheah said port users had highlighted that severe delays in berthing had caused vessel operators to suffer high running costs.

"The delay has caused inconvenience to the industry as some manufacturers were forced to truck imports of raw materials from neighbouring countries or ports to avoid stoppage on production," he said.

Cheah urged the Johor Port management to look into the problem as well as its berth capacity and shore equipment to cope with increasing traffic, especially in meeting year-end volumes.

He said various associations hoped that more concrete and permanent action would resolve the berthing delays which contributed to loss of productivity and competitiveness.

Meanwhile, representatives of the Johor Port Authority urged the terminal to look into prioritised berthing for vessels with high export volumes to avoid the problem of misconnection.
(Source:www.cargonewsasia.com)