Three Sarawak ports handle more cargoes

Kuching: Sarawak’s three state ports – Kuching, Rajang and Miri – have registered an impressive growth in cargo throughput, ranging from 15% to 28% this year.
The Kuching Port Authority handled 5.93 million tonnes of cargo in the first nine months, up by 18% from the same period in 2009.
Containised cargo jumped by 18.5% to 138,885 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), said Sarawak Infrastructure Development and Communications Minister Datuk Michael Manyin.
“Kuching Port attained a very impressive cargo-handling performance in March and April when it handled 18 and 20 gross container movers per hour respectively.
“This standard is comparable to other ports in Malaysia and was acknowledged by Malaysia Shipowners Association in its appreciation letter to the port, ’’ he told the state assembly recently.
He said Kuching Port Authority chalked up a 11.6% increase in operating revenue to RM41.8mil during the January-September period compared with RM37.5mil previously.
On Miri Port’s performance, Manyin said its cargo throughput for the first nine months rose by 28.4% to 584,805 tonnes, attributable mainly to higher container traffic.
Its overall revenue grew 12.2% to RM6.4mil.
Manyin said the Rejang Port Authority in Sibu recorded a 14.5% growth in overall cargo throughput and a 19% increase in operational revenue to RM19.1mil in the first nine months.
“The marked improvement in state ports’ performances is attributable to the global economic recovery and the ports’ efficiency,’’ he added.

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