Northport Bhd, an operator of a multi-purpose port facility in Malaysia, handled 730,452 TEU in the first quarter of the year, an increase of 17 per cent against the previous quarter a year earlier.
The growth in box volumes was attributed to some of the shipping lines calling at the terminal launching new services and deploying bigger ships. In 2007 Northport received 14 new major service strings mounted by mainline and feeder operators, a company statement said.
Regional transhipment has also been fostering the growth, especially the intra-Asian trades connecting Northport at Port Klang with several ports in the region, including ports in Vietnam, China, Indonesia, Thailand and on the Indian subcontinent.
First quarter revenue was up 11 per cent year on year to total MYR165 million (US$52.2 million).
Northport plans to invest MYR585 million in expansion works over a three year period starting from this year. This includes expenditure for various projects, including the redevelopment of a multi-purpose berth into a container terminal, or Berth 8A, for which Northport officials will soon accept tenders.
Berth 8A will be redeveloped to handle mega container ships of up to 12,000 TEU in capacity. The 370-metre-long terminal will be supported by three super post panamax cranes capable of lifting two 40-foot containers or four 20-foot containers in one move from ship to quay or quay to ship. The cranes will have a span outreach of 22 containers across the beam and be able to stack containers six high.
In support of the development works, the dredging of the Northern Approach Channel to 13.5 metres at Port Klang has been completed at a cost of more than MYR300 million ($95.3 million) for the Port Klang Authority, to provide safe entry to deep-drafted container ships into Northport.
The development of a new container terminal, a key part of the expansion works, is aimed at meeting the needs of the mega vessels, which are increasingly entering into service.
Furthermore, Northport intends to broaden its product base by expanding and becoming more integrated in the logistics supply chain. It sees future engagement with Distripark services centred at Northport Distripark with its one million square feet of covered and Free Zone space for integrated warehousing and cargo consolidation services.
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