Malaysia - Port & Shipping News

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Hanjin starts direct service to US from Westports
New Straits Times - 22.6.2009

HANJIN Shipping, South Korea's largest carrier, is offering a direct service between Southeast Asia and the US from Westports in Port Klang.

Named SJX (South East & Japan Express) which started yesterday, this service has been developed to target Southeast Asian markets, including Malaysia, Vietnam and Singapore, which are showing constant growth despite the global economic recession.

According to Hanjin Shipping Line (M) Sdn Bhd country manager Brian J.H You, this direct service can satisfy the growing customers' needs as well as provide customers with stable service.

"With six of 4,000 TEU class ships deployed, SJX service will be calling Port Klang-Singapore-Hong Kong-Yantian-Osaka-Tokyo-Long Beach-Oakland-Tokyo-Osaka- Hong Kong-Port Klang and beginning from July 7, Hong Kong will be replaced by Ho Chi Minh City," said Brian You after accompanying Hanjin Shipping new regional managing director Jay H. Kim to Westports on Wednesday.

Additionally, Hanjin Shipping will start to call at Westportd on their CMX (China-Mediterranean Express) service from June 30. Port rotation is Port Said-Malta-La Spezia-Genoa-Barcelona-Valencia-Suez Canal-Westports, Port Klang-Singapore-Busan-Shanghai-Ningbo-Yantian-Hong Kong-Singapore-Port Said.

Hanjin Shipping, one of Westports top 10 customers, foresees container volume picking up in the second half of the year. Last year, Hanjin moved about 130,000 TEUs at Westports.

Meanwhile, Kim said Hanjin Shipping would continue to rationalise its existing services while developing new ones in order to cope with the market situations and cargo demands and upgrade its customer service.

Today, 31 main line operators and 36 feeders call on Westports including CMA CGM, China Shipping Container Lines, Goldstar, CSAV Norasia, Delmas, Evergreen Marine, APL, MSC Shipping and Hanjin.

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West Port
From http://www.westportsmalaysia.com/

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West Port
From http://www.westportsmalaysia.com/

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Port Of Tanjung Pelepas
From http://www.ptp.com.my/

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Bintulu Port

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Bintulu Port, Makassar sign MoU on cooperation
May 28th, 2009
by The Edge Financial Daily

KUALA LUMPUR: Bintulu Port Holdings Bhd is planning a tie-up with Indonesia's Makassar Container Terminal (MCT) towards cooperating in marketing and operation activities.

Bintulu Port said today its 100% owned subsidiary Bintulu Port Sdn Bhd had on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding with MCT in Sulawesi.

It said they wanted to create a business cooperation relationship between the two ports and with it, to promote regular and diverse exchanges for their mutual benefits and for the communities in which they resided.

They will cooperate on issues relating to port marketing activities towards establishing a shipping connection between MCT and Bintulu Port, in the promotion of foreign trade between the captive areas of the two ports.

Bintulu Port said the parties would also cooperate on port management, operation, exchange of marketing information and human resources development.

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Maiden Voyage of Aluminium Oxide vessel at Bintulu Port
June 30th, 2009



BINTULU: Bintulu Port Sdn Bhd (BPSB) has successfully docked on its Maiden Voyage of Aluminum Oxide cargo vessel name Mv Ken Ten at Bintulu Port Multipurpose Terminal on 9th June 2009, Tuesday evening. The said vessel carrying about 21,000 metric tonnes of Aluminium Oxide is originated from Southern part of Australia for the smelting plant of Press Metal Sarawak Sdn Bhd in Mukah.

For the said operation, BPSB witnessed the discharging of Aluminium Oxide with the high technology hopper and grabbing machines cum bagging facilities as the first ever kind of operation in Malaysia.

According to the Head of Logistics of Press Metal Sarawak Sdn Bhd, Mr. Subramanian s/o Veloo, the initial operation showed that the productivity rate of 3,500 tonnes per day is within the anticipated productivity benchmark. He is confident that the operation will achieve higher productivity rate with fine tuning to the method of operation and as the operators became more familiar with such operations.

Since the set-up of the Aluminium Smelting Plant in Mukah which is also recorded as the first in Malaysia, it has a significant impact on the Sarawakian community in terms of creating more job opportunities and services which will eventually boost the economy of the State.

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Northport
From http://www.northport.com.my

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Northport
From http://www.northport.com.my

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Northport: Logistics
From http://www.northport.com.my







PROTON car

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Northport: Marine
From http://www.northport.com.my

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New Halal Express Service Improvement - Bigger and Better
18 Mar 2009 | MISC Berhad

MISC Berhad, in its aim to serve the ever-growing needs of the Asian Market consumers, is pleased to announce the new and improved Halal Express Service. The service which will commence on 1 April 2009 will offer MISC's customers with additional direct calls and wider port coverage.

The new service which will cover the Far East, South East Asia, Indian Sub-Continent and Middle East will be operated by MISC independently. By operating the service independently, MISC will have the flexibility to meet the customers' needs and further improve its service offerings.

The new port rotation will be:

Shanghai/Ningbo/Shekou/Jakarta/ Singapore/ Port of Tanjung Pelepas/Port Kelang/Karachi/Jebel Ali/Bandar Abbas/Karachi/Nhava Sheva/Colombo/Port Kelang/Singapore/Shanghai

This improved service offers the fastest route from Port Kelang to Karachi. With the addition of Jakarta into its new port rotation, MISC will also be the only carrier to have a direct service from Indonesia to Pakistan and the Middle East.

MISC will be deploying 6 x 4,250 TEU class vessels on a 42 days round voyage

The new Halal Express Service will cater to the needs of the ever growing demand of the Gulf region.

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MISC recognised as best shipping line for Intra-Asia trade
30 Apr 2009 | MISC Berhad

MISC Berhad, the leading international shipping line of Malaysia was recently recognized at the 2009 Asian Freight and Supply Chain Awards as the Best Shipping Line for Intra-Asia trade. The prestigious annual awards are presented by leading trade publication Cargonews Asia to those carriers that readers vote outstanding achievers in all major transportation and logistics sectors in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North America.

Before casting their votes, the 12,500 Cargonews Asia readers are asked to consider a range of criteria, including consistency in service, continuous innovation and customer relationship management.

Receiving the award on behalf of MISC that night was Senior General Manager of MISC Liner Business, En. Baharuddin Arbak, who said, "this award is a great vote of confidence from our customers and is a testament to MISC's continuous efforts to improve its liner services in the current competitive and challenging market conditions."

"The Intra-Asia market is a major focus for MISC. Already this year we have launched the new and improved Halal Express Service, which will offer MISC's customers with additional direct calls and wider port coverage. The new service which will cover the Far East, South East Asia, Indian Sub-Continent and Middle East is operated by MISC independently."

Also winning that night was the Grand Alliance consortium, made up of Hapag-Lloyd, MISC Berhad, Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK) and Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) which bagged the "Best Container Shipping Alliance" award.

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Modification of Bunga Mas Lima into a Navy Auxiliary Vessel
01 Jun 2009 | MISC Berhad

MISC Berhad, in collaboration with the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) and the National Security Council (NSC), has successfully modified its container ship Bunga Mas Lima into a RMN Auxiliary Vessel for the purpose of escorting and protecting MISC's ships sailing through the Gulf of Aden.

The Bunga Mas Lima, a 699 TEU containership, is the first Malaysian merchant ship to be modified as an Auxiliary Vessel for TLDM. The modification work was carried out by Malaysia Marine and Heavy Engineering Sdn Bhd (MMHE), the heavy engineering arm of MISC, at MMHE's yard in Pasir Gudang, Johor.

The project was undertaken following last year's hijacking of MISC's ships Bunga Melati Dua and Bunga Melati 5 in the gulf. MISC, RMN and NSC had joined forces in resolving the two incidents. Since the incident, RMN launched OP FAJAR, a rescue, escort and protection mission, with the aim of ensuring the safe passage of all MISC vessels in the Gulf of Aden. RMN has since sent five ships, namely, KD LEKIU, KD SRI INDERAPURA, KD MAHAWANGSA, KD SRI INDERA SAKTI and KD HANG TUAH in support of that mission.

With the deployment of the Bunga Mas Lima as a RMN Naval Auxiliary Vessel, RMN's KD Sri Inderapura, stationed in the Gulf of Aden will return to Malaysia in June 2009.

According to international law, an auxiliary ship is a ship other than a warship which is owned or under the ruling control of the military. It is operated by the government and thus, the ship is accorded sovereign immunity.

RMN Auxiliary Vessel, Bunga Mas Lima, will be manned by MISC's personnel who had completed a training programme with RMN. The MISC crew, now with the roles as Navy Reservists, will be responsible for the navigation and maintenance of the vessel. Regular officers and men of RMN will also be onboard the vessel to carry out all security related operations.

For MISC, the operationalisation of Bunga Mas Lima as a Naval Auxiliary Vessel is a testimony of its long-term commitment to the safety of its employees and vessels, particularly amidst the concerns over the rising global piracy threats that could jeopardise its operations in the Gulf of Aden.

For RMN, the concept of operationalising Bunga Mas Lima as a RMN Naval Auxiliary Vessel is an important step in realising the dream of the nation, in particular the Malaysian Armed Forces which practices the concept of Pertahanan Menyeluruh or Total Defense (HANRUH), as stated in the National Defence Policy.

A ceremony to commemorate the successful modification of the ship was held today at the MMHE yard in Pasir Gudang. In attendance were Datuk Dr. Abdul Latif bin Ahmad, Deputy Minister of Defence, Malaysia, Laksamana Dato' Seri Abdul Aziz Haji Jaafar, Chief of Navy and En. Amir Hamzah Azizan, President/CEO of MISC Berhad.

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Penang Port
From http://www.penangport.gov.my

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BUNKER ONLINE SYSTEM IN PENANG PORT

Penang Port Commission (PPC) will be launching its latest online system known as Bunker Online early next year. Bunker Online is a web-based system for the online notification to supply bunker in port. It also provides the first response capability to deal with any incident involving the handling of bunkering operation such as spillage of bunker fuel or fire.

The system will be linked to 10 registered bunker suppliers and nine terminal operators in Penang Port as well as Teluk Ewa Port in Langkawi. It also will be linked to Fire and Rescue Department, Occupational Safety and Health Department, Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affair, Malaysia Maritime Enforcement Agencies and other relevant government agencies.

On average PPC handles five notifications to supply bunker involving about 500,000 litres of bunker fuel daily.

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FREE COMMERCIAL ZONE SYSTEM AT PENANG PORT IS ON PILOT RUN

The Free Commercial Zone System (FCZ System) which was developed by Penang Port Commission (PPC) is now on the pilot run trial period. Several freight forwarding companies have been invited to attend the briefing on the implementation of the new FCZ System. FCZ System is a web-based system concept which enables users of the FCZ to declare their import, export and transshipment cargo electronically through internet.

The implementation of this system is in line with the country’s e-government policy to improve the effectiveness of service delivery.

Apart from cargo declaration, the FCZ System also enables users who are linked to it to access to real-time information on declaration status and value-added activities.

PPC does not impose any charges for the usage of the FCZ System. The FCZ System benefits all quarters as declaration can now be submitted 24 hours a day, seven days a week as compared to the previous practice of manual submission and processing.

This will significantly enhance the service level at PPC.

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PKA to allow only approved cargo at private jetties
Published: 2009/06/22

PORT Klang Authority (PKA) has decided to allow only approved cargoes to be handled at all private jetties within the port limit. The ruling took effect last Tuesday.

The port regulator has also decided that only vessels not more than 50m in length and barges not more than 100m in length can be handled at these private jetties.

The directives are in line with safety and security measures, PKA said in a statement.

They are also to ensure that private jetty operators expedite the handling of cargo efficiently at Port Klang as well as avoid conflict with Port Klang's private terminal operators, Northport (M) Bhd and Westports Malaysia Sdn Bhd.

Cargoes that have been identified and approved to be handled at private jetties are certain bulk cargoes such as loose fertiliser and dirty cargoes; scrap metal; heavy machinery and project cargoes; as well as cargo from Sabah and Sarawak, for personal use.

On the handling of heavy machinery, the operators are allowed to handle cargoes by barges to Sabah and Sarawak. This will be allowed until Port Klang's private terminal operators are ready to provide for such activities.

PKA had given six-month notice, from January to this month, to all jetty operators to comply with this decision.

Handling of composite vessels is strictly not allowed at private jetties.

Cargoes that have not been specified above will be handled by Northport and Westports, which are deemed to have adequate and efficient facilities to handle various cargoes at Port Klang.

Selangor handed over the licensing of private jetties to PKA on January 1.

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Defer move to ease cabotage policy, urge shipowners
Published: 2009/06/22

Malaysian shipowners are appealing to the government to defer its unexpected decision to relax the national cabotage shipping policy.

The local shipowners represented by Malaysia Shipowners' Association, said the decision to partially liberalise the cabotage policy and allow foreign shipping lines in the domestic trade should be held back at least until the economy, now in technical recession, recovers.

"It is bad enough that the national cabotage policy will be relaxed to allow foreigners in the transshipment trade between Port Kelang and Tg. Pelepas in Peninsular Malaysia and that Kota Kinabalu in Sabah and Kuching and Bintulu in Sarawak to compete in a limited market but it will be a double whammy if the policy is relaxed immediately when the shipping market is in the doldrums," said Malaysian Shipowners' Association (MASA) chairman Nordin Mat Yusoff.

He said most of the Malaysian operators in the domestic trade are facing severe financial and operational problems as well as low freight rate and excess capacity in the market as a result of the collapse of the freight market.

The move by the government to allow foreign shipping lines to carry international transshipment cargo between Peninsular Malaysian ports of Port Klang and Tanjung Pelepas and Kuching, Bintulu and Kota Kinabalu in Sabah and Sarawak is said to have been made following a paper presented by the Ministry of Transport at the Cabinet meeting last week.

MASA, representing more than 85 per cent of the shipowners' in the country, felt let down by the government, as it had a duty of care to Malaysian shipowners and to protect national interests since cabotage is recognised even by the World Trade Organisation as an instrument of national policy.

"We feel the government should at least defer its decision to relax the cabotage immediately because the shipping markets are in the doldrums and most of the Malaysian operators serving the domestic trade are facing severe financial and operational problems as well as low freight rate and excess capacity in the market as a result of the collapse of the freight market," Nordin said.

MASA said the government must also give the market players sufficient notice of its intention to relax the cabotage policy and "not change such key national policy overnight in the mid-stream and placing local operators under dire straits and severe consequences.

"Adequate notice would at least prepare local players in the trade to take up position by reviewing their operational strategies or strengthen and build up capacity to compete instead of unceremoniously pulling the rug under our feet," said Nordin.

Several MASA members, especially those who have just ordered new ships to be deployed in the domestic trade, could face severe financial losses, the association pointed out.

"While we are perplexed with the dramatic manner the policy is being relaxed, we are also disturbed to note that there is lack of specificity in the government's decision, particularly in any details in the need for continuous monitoring and feedback mechanism on how and whether the relaxation of the cabotage policy works," said Nordin.

He felt the Ministry of Transport should hold a dialogue with the Customs and port terminal operators at the specified ports to ensure that there is no abuse or deviation following the relaxation of the cabotage policy.

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PKA defers paying RM660m to K. Dimensi
Published: 2009/06/30

THE Port Klang Authority (PKA) has decided to defer the RM660 million payment to Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd (KDSB), the turnkey contractor for Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) project, pending the completion of investigation by the special task force.

PKA chairman, Datuk Lee Hwa Beng, said the task force, which was set up on June 10 this year, has started investigations and was in the process of gathering information to complete the report within two months as directed by Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat.

"PKA recognises that not making the payment can result in litigation against it. If this happens, PKA will defend the actions and await the outcome," he told a media briefing after the board meeting today.

Lee said PKA must be careful with public money and the board's decision was also part of the efforts by the transport ministry to restructure PKFZ's financial position and sought a legal review of some of the agreements it had signed in the past.

"The task force is expected to submit the recommendations to PKA and Ong by this August," he said.

The task force comprises lawyers, accountants, quantity surveyors and building cost consultants from professional firms specialising in areas of concern raised in the PricewaterhouseCoopers's audit report on the project.

Lee said the payment was deferred not because of money as the finance ministry has allocated the amount which PKA could withdraw anytime.

He said PKA would send the notice of payment deferment to KDSB immediately.

PKA needs to pay KDSB RM660 million in four parts from June to July.

The first, involving RM130 million, should be paid on or before today under the sale and purchase agreement signed on Nov 12, 2002.

Another RM230 million needs to be paid on or before today under the development agreement dated March 27, 2004.

PKA has to pay RM150 million in July under the supplemental agreement for additional development works dated November 30, 2005 and another RM150 million also in July under supplemental agreement for new additional development works dated April 26, 2006. - Bernama