Tanjung Pelepas tops 2 million TEUs in first six months

Tanjung Pelepas tops 2 million TEUs in first six months    The port of Tanjung Pelepas, Malaysia’s fast-growing container transshipment hub, increased its box throughput 25 percent in the first half of this year, to 2.01 million TEUs from 1.6 million in the same six-month period last year.
   Transshipment volume, the port’s main business, amounted to 1.83 million TEUs, also up 25 percent, during the first half of 2004.
   Local cargo volume also posted a strong growth, rising 22 percent to 77,576 TEUs in the first six months of 2004.
   The Malaysian port said its growth came from “the continuing strong global economic upturn, as well as the addition of a number of new services calling at the port.”
   In the first half, vessel calls at the port of Tanjung Pelepas increased 5 percent to 1,584. The increase equated to about three extra calls a week
   “The completion of the two additional berths expected in mid-July 2004 will also increase the port’s capacity from 4.5 million to 6 million TEUs per annum,” the port said.