Port Klang, 1st September 2008: Westports Malaysia, which sets itself a high standard in berthing a vessel and subsequently completing the vessel according to its own Fastport standards, has received accolade from the government for its high productivity rate.

Minister of Transport, Datuk Ong Tee Keat is happy to note that Westports is ranked among the top 5 in the world for productivity. He commended the Port’s consistency in achieving 35 Gross Moves Per Hour in container handling.

“Attracting ships is just not a question of providing facilities and having impressive technical features. A port must also develop adequate manpower and skills to back up such large-scale operations to achieve productivity and minimize turnaround time.

“The 35 Gross Moves Per Hour achieved by the Westports team in container handling had indeed raised the bar to a standard that have yet be emulated by other Malaysian ports. Congratulations and keep up the good work,” said Datuk Ong during a visit to Westports Malaysia in Pulau Indah, Port Klang today.

According to the minister, dramatic changes in global trade and maritime transport are pushing ports to expand their capacity and position themselves to cater to bigger ships.

“I am glad to say that Westports has responded to this challenge by practicing a supply-driven policy in developing facilities well ahead of demand and is well equipped with the state-of-the-art equipment and system to handle big ships and the huge volume of boxes. In fact Westports is the first port in Malaysia to have the twin-lift crane,” he added

Datuk Ong, who spent about 2 hours at the port, said the visit today has not only given him an opportunity to get to know more about the logistics industry, but also the people who are in the logistics business who will be part of his resource reference in the future. Westports Main Line Operators were present during the visit.

Also present was Westports Executive Director, Ruben Emir Gnanalingam. During the tour of the Port facilities including Container operations, Datuk Ong presented medals to 6 Westports Quay Crane Operators for achieving high productivity rate during the last 7 months.

On Port Klang, the nation’s premier port and ranked 16th in the world, Datuk Ong said it has targeted to achieve container throughput of 12 million TEUs (Twenty Foot Equivalent Units) by 2012. To achieve the target, he urged the Port Klang Authority and the 2 port operators to work closely to carry out more promotional works to woo more shipping lines including feeder lines to call at Port Klang.

“Port Klang’s container volume has grown from a mere 3 million TEUs in 2000 to 7 million TEUs last year. In fact, for the first 7 months of this year a total of 4.66 million TEUS were handled and is forecasted to reach 8 million TEUs by year-end. If this trend continues, I am sure that Port Klang can achieve the target container throughput of 12 million TEUs by 2012,” he said

Meanwhile, Ruben Gnanalingam, who thanked the minister for visiting the port, said Westports would not rest on its laurels, saying that complacency will not be tolerated.

“We have gone on to innovate and introduce systems and processes with the clear objective of staying relevant and providing the highest level of service to our customers. Moreover, the synergies created from the teamwork amongst all staff have enabled Westports to always deliver our best,” he noted.