APL and Chiwan Container Terminal (CCT) have signed a 20-year agreement which will give APL additional efficiency and berth capability at the western Shenzhen port of Chiwan. CCT, in turn, will benefit from APL''s business expansion and container volume growth in western Shenzhen and the Pearl River Delta. Parent NOL''s president/ceo, David Lim, says the agreement will provide APL with greater flexibility to meet growing needs of customers in the region and manage costs as pressure increases on berth access and rates. APL''s business at Chiwan has grown dramatically over the last few years and particularly in 2003 when it contributed significantly to the strong volume growth reported by CCT.
CCT adds the agreement provides impetus for the development of Chiwan's terminal with a fifth berth.
APL intends to become involved in domestic intermodal services in India, although initially restricting itself to joint ventures with Concor in management and operation of inland rail depots and warehousing. The idea is to take stress away from congested coastal port installations where severe capacity bottlenecks are becoming ever more prevalent.
"The development of more terminal capacity in India is pretty important and almost equally important is the development of infrastructure for inland transport, " noted APL CEO Ron Widdows, who mentioned New Delhi as the most likely location of the group's first inland ventures in this area.
