Malaysia’s PTP earmarks $2.1bn for new berths and equipment

Che Khalib Bin Mohamad Noh, chairman of PTP, said: “The immediate plan is to embark on a comprehensive upgrading, refurbishment of our quay cranes, rubber tyred gantries (RTGs) and replacement of PTP’s existing equipment to increase the handling capacity from the current 10.5m teu to 13.2m teu annually.

“This will be followed with the development of Phase 3 which is expected to take place in 2018. Phase 3A and 3B which consist of six new berths of 3km in length will enable us to increase our handling capacity to 22.2m teu before 2030,” he said.

“The expansion is to ensure that PTP remains competitive in the market ultimately become the most preferred transhipment port in Asia,” he added.

At present, PTP operates with 14 berths measuring 5km of quay length. The port moved 9.1m teu in 2015, an increase of 7.1% compared to 2014.

Mohamed Khaled Bin Nordin, chief minister of Johor, acknowledged that PTP has contributed to the economic growth of Johor state in the southern tip of Peninsula Malaysia.

“We anticipate the expansion of PTP will create more job opportunities to the locals, thus further position Johor as a regional economic power and not just a part of the Malaysian economy,” he said.