KUALA LUMPUR (June 27): Transport Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong is hopeful that the combined container volume for Port Klang and Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP) will be close to last year’s record-breaking figure, despite the global supply crunch due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The nation's two leading ports posted a combined throughput of 24.9 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in 2021, with Port Klang at 13.7 million TEUs and PTP at 11.2 million TEUs, their highest achievements.
Noting that the Russia-Ukraine conflict had resulted in higher oil prices and a shortage of commodities, Wee said this had affected the performance of the ports.
“This happened not only in Malaysia but worldwide. But I am still optimistic that these two ports will not be too far-off (from last year’s TEU figures), because as you can see from radar, detection as well as monitoring systems, they managed it very well and improved efficiency by using all the technologies.
“[However,] it would be too early for me to make an exact prediction. But at this junction, we are trying our best to improve the efficiency of the ports,” Wee said at a press conference after launching the 13th biennial International Harbour Masters’ Association (IHMA) Congress.
The minister said Malaysia hopes to see a speedy resolution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict and a recovery of the global economy, which is still reeling from the effects of Covid-19.
He said that apart from the war-induced challenges, port operators also faced other issues such as a shortage of vessels and containers.
In his speech, Wee said several of Malaysia’s ports and many others around the world achieved reasonable growth in 2021 despite registering a slump in 2020, mainly due to the lifting of restrictions imposed during the height of the pandemic.
“Port Klang and PTP are among the busiest ports in the world, ranked 12 and 15 respectively in 2021, serving as gateway ports and transhipment hubs and frequently handling the largest container vessels," he said.