| PTP Slated To Grow Rapidly In Line With Development Of SJER |
|
JOHOR BAHARU, Nov 3 (Bernama) -- The Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP) is expected to grow rapidly in line with the development of the South Johor Economic Region (SJER), which will be launched by the Sultan of Johor on Saturday.
PTP chief executive officer Harun Johari said the port was already the number two transhipment hub in the region and PTP aimed to grow it further to become the preferred port of choice in Southeast Asia.
"Now with the creation of the South Johor Industrial Logistics Cluster (SiLC) within the SJER, there will be more business opportunities for PTP which will support our rapid expansion plans as we are directly located within the region," he said.
The SiLC, Harun said, will house, among others, manufacturing facilities for electronics and electrical products, biotechnology, nanotechnology, pharmaceutical and wafer production.
"Accessibility and connectivity to different types of transportation modes is a must for these industries. This is where PTP can play its role," he said here, Friday.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is scheduled to attend the launching ceremony of SJER at Danga Bay Saturday.
The 2,500-square kilometre, RM15 billion SJER will transform the state into a world-class business hub on par with others in the region like Hong Kong and Shenzhen, China.
SJER will stretch from Johor Baharu to Senai in the north, the PTP in the west and Pasir Gudang in the east.
According to Harun, PTP has many plus points compared to other ports in Southeast Asia.
It has the same geographical advantage as the other major port in its vicinity and it takes only 45 minutes to divert from intersection of the east-west international trade lanes to the port, he said.
Harun said the completion of two additional berths by the end of this year will see its linear quay berths increasing from 2.8 kilometres to 3.6 kilometres.
The port's reefer points, he said, will also increase to 3,000, making it one of the largest reefer facilities in the region, while its overall handling capacity of containerised traffic will rise to eight million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) annually.
"We have invested in the latest equipment such as 24 super-post Panamax cranes and 72 rubber-tyred gantry cranes for the benefit of our customers. In anticipating the rise in throughput over the next few years, we have ordered high performance quay cranes with capability to increase further the productivity and efficiency," he added.
Some of these cranes are currently being commissioned while others will be delivered in stages next year, Harun said.
He said the only port in the world to have these high performance quay cranes is the Port of Dubai.
The other key advantage of PTP is its 1,000-acre Free Zone, which is located directly behind the terminal and directly benefiting the customers, Harun said.
"PTP Free Zone alone has brought in significant customer investment over the last six years. Of the 1,000 acres allocated for the Free Zone, 400 acres have been taken up, another 300 acres are being developed for new investors and the balance is being prepared for future expansion," he said.
Harun said the creation of SJER will attract further investments and provide vast opportunities for new businesses to thrive in the Free Zone.
The SJER, he said, will also trigger the strategic development of several other key projects surrounding PTP, including petrochemical and heavy marine related industries.
Already in place, he added, is an independent power plant at Tanjung Bin to supply power to the region with investments totalling more than RM7 billion.
-- BERNAMA
|
|
|