PORT Klang recorded the highest container throughput among Malaysian ports last year, registering 4.8mil TEUs.

Nevertheless, Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP), with its 3.5mil boxes, handled the most containers among individual terminals in the country, and was the only terminal to surpass the three million TEU mark.

In 2002, Port Klang moved 4.5mil boxes while PTP handled 2.7mil TEUs, thus registering overall increases over the 2003/2002 period.

The growth was mostly due to a rise in transhipment traffic, although there were also improvements in local cargo.

Port Klang’s two terminals, Northport and Westport registered 2.54mil and 2.3mil TEUs respectively.

Westport’s container volume for last year was 2.3mil TEUs compared to 2.05mil TEUs in 2002.

This represented a 12% growth and the increase is attributed to new mainlines placing Westport on their shipping routes and the additional services by existing lines.

Another aspect of this growth is the inception of weekly feeder services to Jakarta.

The service was initiated in response to market demand.

Westport, in a statement, said the robust growth in throughput for 2003 was contributed by indigenous cargo.

Local boxes handled at the terminal increased 13% compared to the year before, with 751,267 TEUs recorded last year compared to 666,533 boxes in 2002.

In line with Westport’s vision of being a transhipment mega hub, a major percentage of its throughput came from transhipment.

Transhipment volume grew by 10% recording 1.44mil TEUs last year against 1.3mil boxes in 2002.

“This trend indicates local import and export is gradually rising to make up greater percentages of total boxes moving through Westport,” said the terminal.

“Conventional volume also saw a healthy growth for 2003, mainly contributed by increases in dry bulk and liquid bulk volumes of 8% and 24% respectively.

“Conventional volume in total showed a marginal increase of 4%, representing 8.61mil tonnes in 2003 compared to 8.29mil tonnes in 2002.”

The increases were contributed by various project cargoes, discharge of KTMB’s Blue Tiger locomotives, the launch of a new facility in the Liquid Bulk Terminal, Far East Oil Terminal 2, awareness of bunkering services and demand for cement.

Westport handled 104,030 roro (Roll On Roll Off) units in 2003 compared to 71,926 units in 2002a 45% growth for the year 2003.

The terminal has projected to handle 2.85mil TEUs this year and 10.5mil tonnes of conventional cargo.