Port or Tanjung Pelepas bucks the trend in container shipping

WHILE most ports suffer a downturn worldwide, Malaysia's Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP) is bucking the trend and finds itself among the 20 busiest container terminals in the world.

PTP, which recently signed an agreement with Marseilles-based CMA CGM, expects to handle 6.1 million TEU, up nine per cent from the 5.6 million TEU handled in 2008.

Under the terms of the agreement, PTP will provide container terminal services to CMA to handle regional transshipment cargo, which will be transshipped at PTP near Singapore.

In fact, it was understood that before the agreement, CMA CGM vessels had already started calling PTP as a result of the vessel sharing agreement with Maersk Line, said Bernama news agency.

PTP chairman Mohd Sidik Shaik Osman told Bernama news agencies (VSA) that CMA CGM had decided to have two hubs in this region, which effectively meant that French shipping giant would still continue to use Westport's Port Klang further north near Kuala Lumpur.

"For now, the joint services under CMA and Maersk's VSA would contribute to half a million TEU of PTP's total annual throughput. Naturally, we expect to see an increase in the volumes from these services as the economy recovers and world trade picks up again", Mr Sidik said.

"We have sufficient terminal capacity and equipment to handle CMA vessels here at PTP, now and in the future. With our current terminal handling capacity of eight million TEU, and our plan to increase the port's capacity to 12 million TEU within the next five years, not only can we accommodate the new volumes by CMA but also that of other shipping lines," he said.

(Source:News And Data - ShippingOnline.cn)