PKA upbeat on port position in global container league

KUALA LUMPUR: Port Klang Authority (PKA) is confident of maintaining Port Klang's 13th position in the World Container League based on last year's performance.

PKA general manager Captain David Padman said in 2012, Port Klang's capacity increased by about two million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) and a capacity increase is anticipated for this year with wharf 18 in Westports, which will be commissioned in January and wharf 8A, Northport, in July.

"With this increase, Port Klang is poised to cross the 10 million TEUs mark and projected to handle 10.4 million TEUs", he said.

Last year, Port Klang registered a 4.1 growth in handling containers with a total of 9.9 million TEUs.

Northport handled 3.08 million TEUs, while Westports handled 6.91 million TEUs in 2012.

Northport handled 1.74 million TEUs of indigenous boxes and 1.34 million TEUs of transshipment boxes, while Westports handled 1.95 million TEUs of indigenous boxes and 4.96 million TEUs of transshipment boxes.

"In total, Port Klang handled 3.69 million TEUs of indigenous boxes and 6.30 million TEUs of transshipment boxes," Padman said in a statement.

According to PKA, Port Klang's positive growth was due to its efficient and productive terminal operators, strong support of its shipping, logistics community and major shipping lines that have made Port Klang as their hub, as well as the port's supply-driven facilities with a container handling capacity of 14 million TEUs per annum and enhanced state of art handling equipment.

Additionally, it said the strong cooperation and coordination between the port authority and private terminal operators Northport and Westports have made Port Klang's continuous marketing and promotion strategies a resounding success.