Port Plans $105M Investment

Malaysia's Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP) intends to buy more than 400 million ringgit ($105 million) of equipment to handle an expected rise in container shipments. PTP's chief executive Mohd Sidik Shaik Osman was quoted by national Bernama news agency as saying he expected volume to triple to 150,000 TEUs by March after averaging 40,000 to 50,000 in the second-half of last year. PTP, a deep-sea port located at the south-western tip of Peninsular Malaysia, created a stir in the shipping world last year when it snatched away Maersk-Sealand, neighboring Singapore's prized client, as its anchor customer and shareholder. Maersk-Sealand, the world's largest shipping line, now owns 30 percent of PTP and is expected to channel some two million TEUs to the port. Sidik said PTP needed more equipment and workers. It intends to buy 10 quay-side cranes, 30 rubber-tired gantries and forklifts. - (Reuters)