ASIA

PTP concedes regional competition will grow

23 years ago

Malaysian transhipment hub PTP expects to face growing competition from new ports in both Thailand and Indonesia in the near future, concedes ceo Mohd Sidik Shaik Osman, adding that developing infrastructure at Chinese ports would inevitably lead to more direct calls, lessening the need for transhipment.

When it is complete, similar work will be carried out on Berths 2 and 3. All are between 330 and 350 metres long and the work is expected to be completed in 2008.

“Competition is also intensifying as established ports adopt new strategies to become more competitive, ” he noted.

However, Osman emphasised that PTP would remain competitive by using incentives to attract lines and also by squeezing out costs, which is how the port had already won business from PSA in Singapore. PTP is also looking at ways of improving efficiency, connectivity and streamlining government procedures to retain its hub status. Osman also stressed that PTP’s developing free zone would play a vital role since many multinationals are looking at integrating logistics and doorto-door services. A second phase expansion of PTP will shortly add two of what will eventually become a further eight berths, boosting capacity to 6mTEUs per annum. In 2003, throughput rose by more than 30%.