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NORTHPORT (M) Bhd is developing a dedicated
terminal to be operational in two years time to
cater to Suez Max class vessels of 12,000 TEUs.
The development is part of the RM585mil
expansion plan announced this year by the port
operating company.
The port's initiative is in line with the
evolving shipping industry, which will have
giant container ships to be in service by 2010.
Global liner operators at large are building
ultra large ships to further reduce cost by
economies of scale.
“The rapid growth of global containerisation
leading to the deployment of larger cellular
container vessels is a challenge to ports and we
are ready to meet this challenge to maintain our
leading edge as the port with the largest spread
of shipping connectivity in the country,” said
Northport managing director and chief executive
officer Datuk Basheer Hassan Abdul Kader in a
statement.
Northport's plan is complemented by the dredging
of the northern approach channel at Port Klang
by the Government to be completed by year-end.
With a high tidal range of about 5m, the
deepening of the channel to 13.5m will offer a
total channel depth of 18m, more than adequate
under keel clearance to allow the passage of the
mega-size new generation ships.
These mega size vessels, which require deep
draft will be berthed at the new 350-metre berth
(Berth 8A) that is being developed linearly as
an extension to the Container Terminal 1 (CT1)
at Northport.
With the development of Berth 8A and the
re-development of the breakbulk terminal
converted into container handling, the container
quayline (including CT1 and CT2) will run
linearly to 3.2 KM.
The dedicated Berth 8A for handling the ultra
size container ships will be supported by four
super post panamax cranes capable of lifting two
40-foot laden 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, stacking six
containers high.
Basheer Hassan said to service ultra large
vessels Northport was taking the logical step to
handle these vessels by providing the necessary
shipside and landside infrastructure.
The quayline at Berth 8A which will initially
serve one ultra large container ship at a time,
could be extended into CT3 to handle more of
such vessels should the need arise.
Basheer Hassan said ports around the world faced
major challenges as marine technology and
logistics evolve in the global liner industry
with the emergence of the mega size container
ships.
Ports need to improve their approach to
cargo-handling technology, operations, and
expand facilities to meet the new demands of the
new genre ships, which offer economies of scale
to the operators.
“Ports must make sure that the shipping
line/operator benefit from deploying the bigger
vessels, otherwise the purpose is defeated,”
Basheer Hassan said.
To ensure faster turnaround, ports must invest
in new and larger ship-to-shore quay-side gantry
cranes, expanded land-side container storage
yards, improved and automated container handling
equipment, and on dock transfer systems.
There are several factors used by shipping lines
in the selection of ports which include handling
costs, quay-side gantry crane performance, ship
turn-around time, berthing windows and
connectivity.
“As a major port committed to the development of
trade, we are always willing to meet the
requirements and the high expectations of
shipping lines,” Basheer Hassan said.
The current trend of deploying ever-larger
container ships continues to force ports to
upgrade to longer out-reach post-Panamax sized
gantry cranes and other container handling
equipment and, at even greater cost, dredging
access channels and increasing water depth at
berths.
Basheer Hassan pointed out that Northport was
also responding to the demand of integrated
logistics.
“With a good spread of feeder connectivity and
easy access of overland connectivity via road
and rail links to the national grids, the port
has practical logistical integration in the
transportation pipeline,” he said.
With a current capacity to handle 4.6 million
TEUs, Northport services more than 75 global
liner operators, including Maersk and the Grand
Alliance shipping consortia.
The liners link Northport with more than 250
ports worldwide. |
