Kuantan Port eyes more capacity under ECER

Tuesday February 19, 2008
KUALA LUMPUR: Kuantan Port is expected to increase its capacity from 16.8 million
tonnes to between 25 million and 30 million tonnes per year by 2020 under the East
Coast Economic Region (ECER).
According to industry experts and observers, the target is achievable on the back of
ECER’s push to attract new investors as well as promote developments in its surrounding
areas.
Kuantan Port Consortium Sdn Bhd managing director Wong Soon
Fah said the proposed road infrastructure enhancement would
facilitate the flow of cargo in and out of ECER.
“We have just completed work on the development of a dedicated
200m berth for biodiesel trade.
“It is a timely development to cope with 750-tonne production
capacity per day from the Mission Biofuels plant in Kuantan,” he
said in a statement by the ECER secretariat.
Wong said Kuantan Port was continuously investing in port
infrastructure development to meet shippers’ demand and
specialised needs.
He said container trade had been expanding in the region.
“In the light of the prospects, the port management has given the
green light for an extension of container terminal and we are now
extending our container terminal by 200m,” he added.
The Kuantan Port operates specialised liquid cargo berths in excess of 1.95km. The port
is the largest in the east coast and is also currently the only port there which handles
container traffic.
Maritime Institute of Malaysia research fellow Nazery Khalid said the ECER would help
improve efficiency and bring more cargo business to Kuantan Port.
“The ECER would definitely provide a lot more business activities and cargo output from
ECER’s hinterland states of Pahang and Terengganu,” he said.
Nazery said Kuantan Port would likely continue to focus on being a niche player in
catering to specialised cargo such as petrochemicals which the region is strong in.
Currently, the port is being served by major liners such as Maersk Line, Samudera
Shipping, MISC Bhd, Pacific International Line, Evergreen and PDZ Holdings Bhd.
— The Star Online