Malaysian port to invest $179M for expansion in 2022

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Port of Tanjung Pelepas
  • The Port of Tanjung Pelepas will invest MYR750 million (US$178.55 million) to expand its capacity this year
  • The port, currently with a capacity of 11.5 million TEUs, will grow to 12.5 million TEUs within the next six months
  • The port will receive 18 new quayside and yard cranes, as well continue an ongoing yard expansion
  • One more berth is planned for construction close to Berth 1 for cargo to and from Sumatra

The Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP) in Johor, Malaysia will invest MYR750 million (US$178.55 million) to expand its capacity this year, its chief executive said.

CEO Marco Neelsen said that, spurred by the double-digit growth last year, the port, currently with a capacity of 11.5 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), will grow to 12.5 million TEUs within the next six months.

“We will receive 18 new quayside and yard cranes, as well as [continue] an ongoing yard expansion,” he said, as reported by government-run news agency Bernama.

“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,” he told reporters at PTP’s 11-million-TEU milestone celebration on January 7.

Apart from the terminal footprint, Neelsen said the investment will focus on improving efficiency and customer experience.

“We are currently expanding our free zone with the development of an 81-acre (32.78 hectares) site in Tanjung Adang, which is planned to be concluded by early 2023,” he added.

PTP registered a total volume of 11.2 million TEUs at the end of 2021, a 14% increase in yearly volume, compared with 9.8 million TEUs in 2020.

It was also among the 20 top ports in the world to record double-digit growth last year.

A joint venture between Malaysia’s MMC group and the Netherlands’ APM Terminals, PTP created a new milestone last year by becoming the first container terminal in Malaysia to surpass 11 million TEUs in throughput volume in a year.

Photo courtesy of Port of Tanjung Pelepas