BINTULU Port Sdn Bhd (BPSB), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bintulu Port Holdings, has reported that containerised cargo volumes surged by 31 per cent year on year to 151,514 TEU compared to the first half of last year, prompting the port to forecast it will handle 300,000 TEU for the whole of 2008.
First half 2008 transhipment containers registered 23 per cent growth, while local container volumes grew by 49 per cent, reports the Malaysia Star.
The growth was attributed to strong demand for containerised timber products exported to Taiwan, Indochina and the Middle East, as well as the growing volume of transhipment containers from Sabah and Sarawak.
Overall, BPSB's total cargo throughput rose by 6 per cent year on year to 20.62 million tonnes for the first half of 2008.
For the first half of the current financial year, BPHB posted a net profit of MYR83.8 million (US$24.39 million), up 3.3 per cent against the same period a year earlier. Revenue grew by 8.1 per cent to MYR228.4 million.
BPSB said it plans to expand its Bintulu International Container Terminal (BICT) by building a new container berth and box yard, scheduled for completion in 2011 and 2010, respectively.
Furthermore, port authorities are also developing a container freight station with a space of 10,000 square metres. The facility is slated for completion by the end of 2009 when it will raise BICT's annual capacity from 400,000 TEU at present to 600,000 TEU.
BPSB has also been developing a multipurpose terminal within its first inner harbour that will be equipped with 19 hectares of land and dedicated facilities to handle pulp and paper, fertiliser, palm kernel expeller and other types of breakbulk cargo. The project is expected to be completed by middle 2010, the report added.
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