Despite the challenges posed by the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP) container volume is expected to remain the same as last year at 11.2 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUS). According to Transport Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong, the record performance has elevated PTP to one of the top 15 global ports, up from 18th in 2020.
“The Russian-Ukraine crisis has slightly affected ports activity as some ports were unable to handle certain goods. However, the performance of the Johor Port Authority (JPA) has been impressive with a record level of container handling of 11.2 million TEUs in 2021.”
“This represented a relatively huge increase of 14 per cent from the previous year’s container volume of 9.85 million TEUs, as port activities were still robust and not much impacted in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic,” he reportedly told the media after the launch of the JPA CSR Cares Keluarga Malaysia Programme.
Wee stated that since 1st January 2022, PTP under JPA has handled a total of 6.89 million TEUs.
“We have four more months and based on the trend, for the last four months, there will be a lot of goods to be delivered due to the Christmas festive season and so on. I am confident that PTP can achieve the same level as last year’s container volume of 11.2 million TEUs,” the Ayer Hitam Member of Parliament said.
Simultaneously, he was impressed by the performance of Johor Port in Pasir Gudang, which has evolved into a commodity hub, particularly as the world’s largest palm oil storage facility.
JPA in its statement said that the JPA CSR Cares Keluarga Malaysia Programme carried out activities like the Road Safety Campaign for motorcyclists with the Road Transport Department (JPJ) and the donation of motorcycle helmets to participants.
A total of 120 participants consisting of LPJ, JPB, PTP, students from 3 schools and communities around Pasir Gudang, Johor have attended the programme which is expected to increase road safety skills and sensitivity to motorcyclists who are at high risk in road accidents.
“This is because more than 60% of port workers and surrounding communities prefer to ride motorcycles to work to avoid traffic congestion, economic factors and the convenience of parking in a place,” the statement said.
JPA is the regulatory body of both Johor Port and PTP.
Johor Port is a multipurpose port that handles various types of cargo such as bulk cargo as well as liquid and container while PTP is a container port.