MARITIME industry chieftains have given the thumbs up to Transport Minister Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy for coming up with comprehensive and progressive plans for the way forward for Malaysian ports, particularly Port Klang and Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP).

Westport executive chairman Tan Sri G. Gnanalingam said the Minister’s statement showed that the Transport Ministry and the ports actually had clear strategies for the future.

He said he shared Chan’s views on port charges that they are based on overall competitiveness and the ability of the port users and shipping lines to absorb the charges or the ability of port operators to provide the facility and efficiency required.

Gnanalingam said the fact of the matter was that Port Klang’s marine charges were lower than those of Penang, PTP and Singapore. In Port Klang, the charges are RM5,000 compared with about RM9,000 in PTP and RM17,000 in Singapore.“As such a feeder ship pays only RM5,000 in Port Klang and yet it is prepared to pay RM9,000 in PTP or RM17,000 in PSA 12 hours later,” he said.

On the container security initiative, he said the scanner was placed outside Westport and as such the terminal was not charging any port users for this exercise despite a note from Port Klang Authority to do so.

Abstracted from The Star dated 12.04.2004