1st October 2007

NST LOGISTICS

More investment for port handling equipment

The liberalization of port handling equipment (import) will help to ease the current problems in the delays in the delivery of port cranes faced by the local port operators.
 
The move to liberalise the import of certain cranes used in port is a timely move to meet the demands of the booming of the container trade at local ports, said the director of IT Portlink Sdn Bhd, Yeo Peng Leng.
 
Major container handling facilities in the country have recorded strong growth of 14.7 per cent to 7.3 million TEUs during the first half of 2007 as against 6.3 million TEUs in corresponding period of 2006.
 
“All major container handling facilities have made provisions to acquire additional container handling equipment to cope with the growth. It is estimated some RM800 million worth of cargo handling equipment like quay crane and rubber Tyre gantries (RTG) will be acquired within couple of years,” Yeo said.
 
IT Portlink, as the contractor for TCM port handling equipment recently won contract to supply 12 TCM Rubber-tyred gantries (RTGs) to local ports, including Northport.
 
The company will also be introducing a new a new hybrid energy efficient RTG which has been well-received in Japan.
 
He said the new hybrid eco-friendly machine which able to reduce emission approximately 40 per cent is expected to enter Malaysian market soon with the liberalization of the government’s policy on importing cranes from overseas market
 
The hybrid RTG save fuel expenses more than 40 per cent as it consumes an average of 13.37 litre/hour of operations compared with 21.74 litre/hour of operations for the standard RTGs.
 
The new hybrid machine is also save energy, produces lesser emission (black smoke, NOx, Sox, CO2) as well as reducing vibrations.
 
Meanwhile, IT Portlink which was established in 1995 as the core contractor for maintenance for port equipment in Malaysia has won a competitive international contract to maintain port equipment in the Port of Mersin, Turkey.
 
“The three plus two-year contract is a major milestone for IT Portlink to expand its scope of “maintenance services” to global markets, said the Director of IT Portlink Sdn Bhd, Yeo Peng Leng.

  
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