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Bintulu Port Sdn Bhd (BPSB),
a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bintulu Port
Holdings Bhd (BPHB), expects to register strong
cargo-handling growth this year, supported by
its performance in the first half of 2008.
For containerised cargo, BPSB recorded a 31%
jump in volume to 151,514 TEUs (twenty-foot
equivalent units) in the first half of 2008
(H108) against the same period last year.
Transhipment containers grew 23% while growth in
local containers was 49% in 1H08.
BPHB chief executive officer Mior Ahmad Baiti
Mior Lub Ahmad told StarBiz that the strong
growth was due to the export of containerised
timber products to Taiwan, Indochina and Middle
East, as well as the growing volume of
transshipment containers from Sabah and Sarawak.
For palm oil, the port recorded an increase of
14% to 780,000 tonnes for H108 against the same
period last year.
“We expect to handle more cargo this year for
both containerised and non-containerised cargo,”
he said, adding that the port aimed to achieve
300,000 TEUs this year.
Overall, BPSB’s total cargo throughput
registered a growth of 6% to 20.62 million
tonnes for H108 compared with the same period
last year.
The growth was in line with the port’s plan to
expand its other cargo volume to catch up with
its liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargo handling.
LNG cargo constituted 58.9% of total cargo
handled by the port last year.
Mior said the prospects for other types of cargo
handled at the port to increase was strong.
“Our marketing and operational teams are
focusing on the development of four major
sectors – container, palm oil, fertiliser and
breakbulk cargoes (mainly timber products and
project cargo),’’ he said. |
