Westports plans Rm3.2bil investment

PUTRAJAYA: Westports Malaysia Sdn Bhd will invest Rm3.18bil under its expansion plan to further improve the port’s capacity, executive chairman Tan Sri G. Gnanalingam said.

He said the expansion plan includes the 160 ha (400 acres) land reclamation project expected to be completed by next year and the construction of four container terminals slated for completion in 2016.

“We already have five container terminals now. The sixth terminal is under construction and we will move to seventh (terminal) next year, eighth and ninth (terminal). We have four more terminals to complete.

“Now, we are handling 6.5 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUS) and it will increase to 11 million TEUS by 2016,” he told reporters after signing a Rm318mil facilitation fund agreement with the government, Bank Pembangunan Malaysia and Westports for a land reclamation project in Port Klang.

The agreement signed by the Prime Minister’s Department Public Private Partnership Unit directorgeneral Datuk Seri Dr Ali Hamsa and Gnanalingan will provide Rm318mil facilitation fund to Westports for the project.

The signing was witnessed by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop and publi cprivate partnership Unit Fund Section director Raja Muhammad Azhan Shah Raja Muhammad.

Nor Mohamed said the facilitation fund was important to expand Westports as about 80% of the nation’s exports and imports used the port’s facilities.

“This is a success that all of us should be proud of. We should not be satisfied (with what we’ve achieved so far), instead we should strive to do more using our strategic assets that we have to scale greater heights in this transport hub.

“To do this, we have to reclaim land, make dredging and etc.

“With government assistance, facilities at Westports can be expanded and we can get revenue from ships using the facilities,” he added.