BINTULU: Samalaju Port which has total berth capacity of 46 million tonnes per annum will be developed in phases in line with projected demand, says Bintulu Port Holdings Bhd chief executive officer Dato Mior Ahmad Baiti Mior Lub Ahmad.
“Based on the demand projection, the development of the port will be done in phases focusing mainly on the interim and Phase 1.
“Work on Phase 2 onward will be developed when the demand and the needs is more certain,” he said at a briefing session at Samalaju Port premises here on Tuesday, which was chaired by Second Minister of Resource Planning and Environment Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan.
For the interim facilities, he said that two barge berths had been completed while a RO-RO ramp, which has four million berth capacity would be completed in April this year.
Facilities in Phase 1, he added, would have a total of 14 million tonnes berth capacity per annum, with facilities that include four handymax and one handysize berths which are expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2016. Project status of the southern berth under the interim facilities was completed on Oct 8, 2013.
Mior said the cumulative progress of other major remaining work as of Jan 31 are RO-RO ramp area, 20m extended wharf deck adjacent to tug boat jetty, northern berth fender and the remaining 30m wide deck slab.
“For interim and Phase 1 facilities, once they are fully operational it would have a berth capacity of 9,336,266 million tonnes in bulk and 90,073 TEUs involving six companies which have signed the agreement with Samalaju Port Authority.
“It is smaller compared with Bintulu Port which recorded about 250,000 TEUs last year,” he added.
Among the first six companies that will be using Samalaju Port will be Press Metal Bintulu Sdn Bhd, Tokuyama Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Pertama Ferroalloys Sdn Bhd (Asia Mineral Limited), OM Materials Sdn Bhd, Sakura Project (Sumitomo J/V Assmang & China Steel) and Malaysian Phosphate Additive (Sarawak) Sdn Bhd.