December 20th, 2002 - Westport's value added services, including simplified port procedures and user-friendly systems, have set it apart from many other ports in the region.

"At the end of the day, it makes good commercial sense to do business at Westport as fast, flexible and fully-reliable services are what one can come to expect.

"Time saved, faster turnaround and storage facilities also eventually translate to more revenue," the port said in a statement.

The Westport distripark (WDP), spanning an area of 20.25ha, represents the heart of all ongoings at Westport. It is a central logistics port for some of the world's biggest brands - including Philip Morris, Ikea, Colgate Palmolive, Bridgestone, Maersk Logistis and APL Logistics.

This is the single location where most activities, such as storaging, warehousing, stuffing and unstuffing, take place. WDP's location also enables a host of value-added services such as packing, labeling and assembling, sorting and consolidation.

These services have been carried out completely free of the Customs formalities since the creation of the Commercial Free Zone status in 1998.

As WDP is well connected to Malaysia' expressways and the national rail system - which traverse to Bangkok, Thailand, in the North and Singapore in the South - all transfers are done via road or rail.

The port's Container Freight Station (CFS), meanwhile, offers various possibilities of cargo handling. It accepts steel packages, cartons general cargo, palletized and non-palletized cargo, drums, motor vehicle, electrical items, tobacco, liquor and tyres.

The CFS began operations in 1997, covering an area of 35,00 sq ft. In line with the increase in container volumes handled at Westport, the CFS facilities now cover a space of 210,000 sq ft, with an average monthly throughput of 3,000 to 3,500 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs).

These facilities include a dangerous cargo section and dedicated cold room facility for special items like fruit.

Warehousing is another premier service available to customers at WDP.

"The warehouse and storage facilities have been designed to suit a diverse range of cargo, from liquid bulk to dry bulk, and vehicles to frozen items, just to name a few," the statement said.

Another value-added service provided is ISO tank cleaning which involves the cleaning of containers in which liquid bulk is carried, once the contents have been discharged.

Westport's facility can handle the cleaning of four units at any one time, and depending on the cargo type, an average of seven to 10 containers daily.