Port of Tanjung Pelepas, which rivals neighboring Singapore for sea freight, today said it expects to record a 20 percent surge in throughput this year as the global economy expands.

"We expect to see an acceleration (in demand) for PTP to handle containers," Chief Executive Officer Harun Johari said.

Harun said Tanjung Pelepas Port (PTP), Malaysia's busiest port, located in the southern Johor state, neighbouring Singapore, expects a record five million 20-foot standard containers this year from 4.18 million in 2005.

"The port is already the number two trans-shipment hub in Southeast Asia. It is our ambition to further grow and be the preferred port of choice in the region. Our biggest competitor is Singapore," he said.

Additional berths

Attracted by cheaper port charges, Tanjung Pelepas, which can handle six million 20-foot containers a year, is expanding its infrastructure amid the expected boom.

Harun said the completion of two additional berths by the end of this year will see its linear quay berths increase from 2.8 kilometers to 3.6 kilometers at a cost of RM200 million.

"In anticipating the rise in throughput over the next few years, we have ordered additional high performance quay cranes to increase productivity," he said.

Harun said the new facilities will bolster the port's capacity to handle eight million containers by the end of 2007.