Bintulu Port Holdings Bhd (BPHB) will invest RM200mil in the next three years to expand the port's container terminal, multipurpose terminal and purchase new cargo handling equipment.
Chief executive officer Mior Ahmad Baiti said works for the projects had started and that tenders for some of the new equipment to be procured had been called.
He said when completed in 2010, the container terminal would boost its annual handling capacity to 650,000 TEUs (20ft equivalant unit) from the present 327,000 TEUs.
He said the port container terminal handled 251,800 TEUs last year, up by 26.1% from 199,700 TEUs in 2006.
''By 2010, we will be handling 500,000 TEUs,'' he told reporters Friday after BPHB's AGM at Kuching Hilton.
Mior said the expanded multipurpose terminal would have its annual capacity increased to 4 million tonnes by 2011.
He said Bintulu Port signed a five-year terminal services agreement last year with four shipping lines - Evergreen, Hubline, Harbour-Link and Johan Shipping.
These agreements support Bintulu Port's vision to be the premier transhipment hub in the Brunei/Indonesia/ Malaysia/Philippines-East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA).
There are now 15 shipping lines calling at Bintulu Port, which recorded over 6,000 vessel calls last year.
Mior said the exports of the liquified natural gas (LNG) now contributed about 75% of Bintulu Port's total operating revenue.
''We will reduce the dependency on LNG cargo to 60% in the next five years.The focus will shift to non-LNG segment whereby special emphasis will be given to the development of container, palm oil and bulk cargo,'' he said.
BPHB's wholly-owned subsidiary Biport Bulkers Sdn Bhd handled nearly 389,000 metric tonnes of palm oil products last year, down marginally from 400,000 tonnes in 2006 due to lower demand from the Middle East.
However, Biport Bulkers is expected to handle over 1 million tonnes of various palm oil products this year as another two refineries start to use its facilities.
Chairman Tun Mohd Eusoff Chin said BPHB posted a remarkable group pre-tax profit of RM189.2mil for the financial year ended Dec 31, 2007.
He said last year's group operating revenue jumped by nearly RM26mil to RM417mil, and he attributed this to the increase in the handling of LNG, petroleum products, palm oil, bulk fertiliser and container cargo.
Chief executive officer Mior Ahmad Baiti said works for the projects had started and that tenders for some of the new equipment to be procured had been called.
He said when completed in 2010, the container terminal would boost its annual handling capacity to 650,000 TEUs (20ft equivalant unit) from the present 327,000 TEUs.
He said the port container terminal handled 251,800 TEUs last year, up by 26.1% from 199,700 TEUs in 2006.
''By 2010, we will be handling 500,000 TEUs,'' he told reporters Friday after BPHB's AGM at Kuching Hilton.
Mior said the expanded multipurpose terminal would have its annual capacity increased to 4 million tonnes by 2011.
He said Bintulu Port signed a five-year terminal services agreement last year with four shipping lines - Evergreen, Hubline, Harbour-Link and Johan Shipping.
These agreements support Bintulu Port's vision to be the premier transhipment hub in the Brunei/Indonesia/ Malaysia/Philippines-East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA).
There are now 15 shipping lines calling at Bintulu Port, which recorded over 6,000 vessel calls last year.
Mior said the exports of the liquified natural gas (LNG) now contributed about 75% of Bintulu Port's total operating revenue.
''We will reduce the dependency on LNG cargo to 60% in the next five years.The focus will shift to non-LNG segment whereby special emphasis will be given to the development of container, palm oil and bulk cargo,'' he said.
BPHB's wholly-owned subsidiary Biport Bulkers Sdn Bhd handled nearly 389,000 metric tonnes of palm oil products last year, down marginally from 400,000 tonnes in 2006 due to lower demand from the Middle East.
However, Biport Bulkers is expected to handle over 1 million tonnes of various palm oil products this year as another two refineries start to use its facilities.
Chairman Tun Mohd Eusoff Chin said BPHB posted a remarkable group pre-tax profit of RM189.2mil for the financial year ended Dec 31, 2007.
He said last year's group operating revenue jumped by nearly RM26mil to RM417mil, and he attributed this to the increase in the handling of LNG, petroleum products, palm oil, bulk fertiliser and container cargo.