Port of Tanjung Pelepas
Encyclopedia
Abbreviation
An abbreviation is a shortened form of a word or phrase. Usually, but not always, it consists of a letter or group of letters taken from the word or phrase...
: PTP, UN/LOCODE: MYTPP 01°21′58.85"N 103°32′54.12"E) is a port
Port
A port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land....
for container ship
Container ship
Container ships are cargo ships that carry all of their load in truck-size intermodal containers, in a technique called containerization. They form a common means of commercial intermodal freight transport.-History:...
s located on the eastern mouth of the Pulai River
Pulai River
Pulai River is located within the Malaysian state of Johor. It runs from Mount Pulai until Tanjung Pelepas, draining into the Tebrau Straits. At its mouth lays the single largest seagrass bed in Malaysia which extents all the way to Pulau Merambong....
in south-western Johor
Johor
Johor is a Malaysian state, located in the southern portion of Peninsular Malaysia. It is one of the most developed states in Malaysia. The state capital city and royal city of Johor is Johor Bahru, formerly known as Tanjung Puteri...
, Malaysia. Receiving its maiden vessel on 10 October 1999 on a three-month trial operation, it set a world record as the fastest growing port with of containers handled after 571 days of operations. The good performance sealed the port's fate, and it was officially launched by then Prime Minister of Malaysia
Prime Minister of Malaysia
The Prime Minister of Malaysia is the indirectly elected head of government of Malaysia. He is officially appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the head of state, who in HM's judgment is likely to command the confidence of the majority of the members of that House of Representatives , the...
, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad
Mahathir bin Mohamad
Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad . is a Malaysian politician who was the fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia. He held the post for 22 years from 1981 to 2003, making him Malaysia's longest serving Prime Minister. His political career spanned almost 40 years.Born and raised in Alor Setar, Kedah, Mahathir...
, on 13 March 2000.
Growth
The port continues to register spectacular growth. At the end of 1999, the terminal handled , which rose to in 2000, in 2001, and in 2002, and in 2003 outstripping Port Klang and thereby establishing itself as Malaysia's largest port. In 2004, it registered a 15.3% increase to , and came in as the world's 16th busiest container port. In 2005, PTP handled , and 2006 an estimated . In 2007, PTP handles a further , a growth of 14.5 percent compared to 2006. In 2008 PTP handled 5.6 million TEU and PTP closed 2009 with a container throughput of 6.02 million TEUs which was 7.5% higher than 2008.This accelerated growth hinges on the port's proximity to the busy sea lanes on which the Port of Singapore
Port of Singapore
The Port of Singapore refers to the collective facilities and terminals that conduct maritime trade handling functions in Singapore's harbours and which handle Singapore's shipping...
derived its growth and sustainability for nearly two centuries. Positioning itself as a choice alternative to Singapore's terminals, it highlights its proximity to the Tuas Second Link which leads to Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. Sustained growth after 2000 was also largely possible as Maersk Sealand
A.P. Moller-Maersk Group
A.P. Moller – Maersk Group , also known as Maersk , is a Danish business conglomerate. A.P. Moller – Maersk Group has activities in a variety of business sectors, primarily within the transportation and energy sectors. It is the largest container ship operator and supply vessel operator in the...
, the world's largest container ship operator, took a 30% equity stake in the port's holding company, Seaport Terminal in a deal concluded on 17 August 2000, effectively shifting all of Maersk's operations to the new port from the Singaporean port by the end of that year . Maersk was once the largest operator in Singapore, and the shift represented a 10% drop in business there.
In 2002, Evergreen Marine Corporation, then the world's second largest shipping company after Maersk, also shifted its operations to PTP from Singapore. This event raised alarm bells in the Singaporean port, with widespread speculation in the shipping community that Evergreen's endorsement of PTP demonstrated that Maersk's move may not be an isolated one. Other lines have since also started direct services at PTP.
In 2008, the port announced that it will expand its quay by the addition of four berths worth MYR
Myr
The symbol myr was formerly used in English-language geology, and remains as the standard usage in astronomy, as a unit of one million years.It is an abbreviation for 'million years' and lower case is used in geology, while upper case is used in astronomy....
1.4 billion. The length of the quay will increase by 1.44km to the existing 3.6 km. It is expected that the first two berths will be operational in 2009. The expansion project will increase the handling capacity to 12 million TEUs.
Facilities
The current port offers 12 berths totalling 4.32 km of linear wharf length, and a 1.2 million square meters container yard which contains around in storage space, 38,000 ground slot and 4,200 reefer points.The berths are serviced by 44 Super Post-Panamax quay cranes, 11 of which have a 22 rows outreach and dual hoist 40’ pick, 30 with 22 rows outreach and twin 20’ lift. The total capacity of the port today is over per year. 138 rubber tyred gantry cranes
Rubber Tyred Gantry
A Rubber Tyred Gantry crane is a mobile gantry crane used for stacking intermodal containers within the stacking areas of a container terminal...
, 274 Prime Movers and 361 Trailers operate around the container facility.
Beside being connected directly to the main Malaysian expressways, the port is also linked to rail access which extends into Southern Thailand with a 4 track rail terminal. A 14 lane gate terminal and 6 lane FTZ ensure a smooth turn around time for import and export containers. The port development area consists of 2,000 acres for the port terminal and 1,000 acres for the free trade zone. The port has a naturally deep harbour with a draft of 15 - 19 metres, and its turning basin of 720 metres allows for ships of any size to turn easily.
The entire master plan of the port envisages over 95 berths with 150 million TEU terminal handling capacity making it the only port in South East Asia with long term potential to handle increasingly growing container traffic. The berths are expected to extend from the mouth of the Pulai River
Pulai River
Pulai River is located within the Malaysian state of Johor. It runs from Mount Pulai until Tanjung Pelepas, draining into the Tebrau Straits. At its mouth lays the single largest seagrass bed in Malaysia which extents all the way to Pulau Merambong....
to Malaysia-Singapore Second Link
Malaysia-Singapore Second Link
Malaysia–Singapore Second Link is a bridge connecting Singapore and Johor, Malaysia. In Singapore, it is officially known as the Tuas Second Link. The bridge was built to reduce the traffic congestion at the Johor–Singapore Causeway, and was opened to traffic on 2 January 1998...
.