The Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP) has become the first Malaysian port to handle more than 18,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in a single berthing by a vessel.
In a statement, PTP said the milestone was accomplished on January 13, 2016 when Matz Maersk, one of the vessels in the 2M network service, left the port with a record load of 18,034 TEUs.
PTP chairman Che Khalib Mohamad Noh said the achievement was a testament to the port’s commitment to providing world-class service.
Despite a challenging economic environment, the box port processed a total of 9.1 million TEUs last year, 7% higher than the volume handled in 2014.
Kaohsiung box volume falls
On the other hand, Taiwan’s main seaport Kaohsiung saw its container traffic in 2015 decline 3.1% to 10.26 million TEUs from 10.59 million TEUs year-on-year, according to figures from local authorities.
The Taiwanese port is currently conducting upgrading works to construct deep-water berths capable of accommodating mega box ships of 22,000 TEUs in capacity. Once improvements are completed in 2019, Kaohsiung port will raise its handling capacity by an additional 4.5 million TEUs.
