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PTP hoping for govt funds for capacity expansion

PTP hoping for govt funds for capacity expansion
Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP) is preparing well for the future by by planning to expand its capacity from the current 12.5m teu to 15m teu in the next five years, local media reported.

Recognising continuous changes in the port industry landscape, PTP deputy ceo Hanif Hamid said PTP is looking at expansion in order to be able to take competition head-on when the time comes. "We have submitted our papers to the government to gain their support financially in terms of capital dredging to expand our current channel," he said.

Hanif said under the 11th Malaysian Plan, there should be some "ports money" for the industry players to tap into and hoped that the company would be able to convince the government that PTP is viable and would contribute significantly to the country's economic growth as well as that of Johor.

"In order for us to expand, we need to further dredge the seabed. The existing depth of our channel is about 16 metres. In order to effectively accommodate the largest container vessels in the world without any tidal restrictions, there is a need to deepen the channel to 18.5 metres.

"Furthermore, there is also an urgent need to widen the channel from the current 400 metres to 600 metres to prevent bottleneck or congestion," he added.

As of June 2015, PTP handled approximately 4.5m teu and is on track to achieve its target of more than 9m teu this year.