The Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP) has said it will invest RM750 million ($178.5 million) in expanding its capacity this year.
Speaking to reporters at the PTP 11 million TEU milestone celebration on 7 January, Marco Neelsen, Chief Executive Officer for the port, said capacity will grow from 11.5 million TEU to 12.5 million TEU within the next six months.
“We will receive 18 new quayside and yard cranes, as well as an ongoing yard expansion,” said Neelsen. “Furthermore, we plan to add one more berth close to Berth 1 which we want to use, among others, to expand our footprint for cargo to and from Sumatra.”
The announcement comes after the port handled a total of 11.2 million TEU in 2021, making it the first port in Malaysia to surpass 11 million TEU in a year. This also demonstrated a 14% growth in its yearly volume.
This major investment also aims to help improve the PTP’s efficiency and its customer experience.
“We are currently expanding our Free Zone with the development of an 81-acre site in Tanjung Adang which is planned to be concluded by early 2023,” Neelsen added.
The CEO previously told PTI that PTP will continue to be agile, and resilient against the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic instability as it continues to grow. Part of this growth is to double the TEU throughput of the port.
“With the increased demand from our customers and our growth prospect, our primary focus moving forward is to optimise the current terminal footprint up to 15 million TEU in the coming years,” said Neelsen.
“This programme covers the upgrading of our equipment fleets such as procuring more STS Quay Cranes and subsequently adding landside equipment like Electrified Rubber Tyred Gantry Cranes & Prime Movers. Apart from that, the initiative also covers improving existing infrastructure and further enhancing our terminal efficiency and processes via the digitisation & automation effort.”
