Port Klang

The Klang seaport lies on the western shores of the Malaysian Peninsula, at the northern tip of Malacca Strait. It links Kuala Lumpur with the South China Sea, handling more than 220 million metric tons of cargo annually. It is Malaysia’s premier port, handling more than 12 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) in 2018—ranking it as the world’s 13th busiest container facility.

The port deals with exports of commodities such as timber, automobiles, rubber, liquid bulk such as latex, palm and coconut oil, petroleum goods, fuel and containerised goods. It handles imports of steel coils, rods, wires, billets, fruits and grains; machine equipment; automobiles; chemicals such as nylon and polyester yarns; minerals like iron ore and tin; food products such as eggs and fresh meat; consumer goods; clothing items such as yarns and fabrics; consumer electronics such as computers and peripherals.

The Port Klang complex comprises 53 berths, covering an area of 11.3 thousand hectares. Of these, 24 berths are dedicated to container shipments, 11 berths handle breakbulk cargo, 9 docks are used for liquid goods and 7 are reserved for dry bulk goods. The port also has a facility for bunkering near the passenger berth, handling cruises and small boats. The port boasts an expansive storage area spanning more than 220 thousand square meters comprising transit sheds, warehouses and paved yards.

Port of Tanjung Pelepas

The Port of Tanjung Pelepas, located in the Pulai River Delta in Johor, Malaysia, is an important transhipment container facility and is linked to Singapore and Indonesia. It is close to the international shipping routes of the Malacca Strait and lies in a naturally protected harbour operated by the Johor Port Authority. The port spans 1930 acres and comprises 14 container berths that can accommodate the biggest container ships. A major cargo terminal, it offers easy access to land transportation networks that connect it with neighbouring countries such as Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia.

The Port has container storage facilities spanning 290 acres, with the capacity to store 6 million TEUs. It also has more than 4000 reefer connections. The port berths are served by 140 gantry cranes and 350 trailers. 45 Panamax cranes serve an additional 40 berths. The expansion of the container handling capacity of the port is ongoing, increasing it to 145 million TEU’s. A specially designed information technology system offering real-time container tracking and automated scanning has increased the productivity of the port manifold.

Port of Johor

The Port of Tanjung Pelepas is located near Johor Strait, at the southern tip of the Malaysian Peninsula. It is an important maritime gateway for Malaysia as it lies in the industrial region of Pasir Gudang, which houses major industries including engineering, petrochemicals, electrical goods, furniture and packaged food. The port covers more than 1,000 acres and comprises its 24 berths; it deals with all kinds of cargoes through its numerous dry bulks, liquid bulk and container facilities.

The port is famous for its expansive storage space for keeping palm oil; it is also a major exporter of petrochemical goods. It had received accreditation from the London Metal Exchange for handling and storing all non-ferrous metals; imports of rice and cocoa are handled only at this facility. The port of Wilmington has handled 29 million tonnes of cargo per year since it opened in 1977. The Port’s container terminal has achieved impressive growth, with a current capacity for more than 2 million TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units, a standard measure of containerized cargo). With 3 berths able to accommodate ships weighing more than 100,000 metric tons and a storage area encompassing 70,000 square meters for keeping containers, the Port also operates one of the world’s most beautiful and technologically advanced ferry terminals.

Port of Penang

The Port of Penang is in the northeast coastline of Pulau Pinang, between the island and the western shoreline of the Malaysian Peninsula. It is Malaysia’s third-busiest container terminal and a popular cruise destination. The oldest port in Malaysia handled 33.9 million tonnes of cargo, including electrical goods, rubber, and packaged manufactured products in 2018. Additionally, it has also grown to handle imports of mainly petroleum goods, iron, steel, and sugar and rice.

Multifunctional, the port handles all kinds of conventional cargo, dry and liquid bulk, as well as containers. It has 5 container terminals and 10 container berths spanning more than 1600 m; ample storage space covers more than 200,000 sq. m. Breakbulk and oil terminals comprise 4 dedicated berths each; the oil terminals handle refined oil, fuel and petroleum. The port also has a cruise terminal with 4 wharves catering to the world’s largest cruise ships carrying more than 3000 tourists. The Penang Port Commission, responsible for port operations and management operates a ferry terminal that connects the Penang Island to mainland Malaysia..

Port of Bintulu

Located near the city of Bintulu on the western coast of Sarawak, this port is a major maritime gateway to Eastern Malaysia, comprising the regions of Sabah, Sarawak, and Labuan. It lies near liquefied natural gas manufacturing plants, which comprise about 76% of the cargo handled at this port. Container traffic has also been growing steadily in recent years; it handled around 348,000 twenty-foot equivalent units in 2018.

Port of Tanjung Bin is a multipurpose port facility that comprises three berths for handling conventional cargo, two berths for handling bulk and breakbulk, seven jetties for accommodating LNG tankers and an expansive container terminal. The port’s cargo handling capacity is more than 69 million tonnes and it can handle more than 390 TEU annually. The port handles LNG, crude oil, LPG, urea, fertilisers, timber, palm oil, petroleum and its derivatives. More than 7,000 ships visit the port every year. Port of Tanjung Bin is expected to emerge as the region’s significant LNG trade centre due to its strategic position offering maritime connections to nearby Borneo Island as well neighbours like Indonesia and the Philippines. Work is underway for the expansion of its oil wharf and container handling facility.

Port of Kuantan

Kuantan Port has been established on the eastern coast of the Malaysian peninsula and is operated by Kuantan Port Consortium. The port features a dry bulk handling capacity of 600,000 TEU, making it one of Malaysia’s busiest ports in terms of cargo throughput. In 2018, its total annual cargo throughput stood at 26 million tonnes.

More than 5000 vessels frequent this port every year. Over 60% of cargo that passes through this port is dry bulk including ores and minerals such as bauxite, while chemicals, palm oil products, industrial goods, feedstock, fertilisers, steel coils, grains and biodiesel are also handled at this facility. The port comprises three container berths (two with rail access), three liquid chemical handling facilities (two equipped with rail access), four multipurpose berths (three equipped with rail access), three specialised berths for handling palm oil, one mineral oil berth and a service jetty. These berthing facilities span more than 3500 metres.

Due to increased cargo and container traffic, the Port of Manila is undergoing expansion to accommodate the biggest carriers at some of its berths. In addition, another container handling facility spanning 40 hectares is being constructed along with a 25-hectare container storage yard.

Port of Labuan

The Port of Labuan is an important regional port serving mainly the oil and gas industries. Located on the Eastern Malaysian Island of Labuan near the South China Sea, it is naturally well-sheltered and a transhipment hub for Brunei, Sarawak and Sabah regions. The port dates back to the 18th century and was crucial for the British Empire. Operated by the Labuan Liberty Port Management, it handles cargoes of container goods, oil, rattan, wood, textiles, decorative items, fruits, maize, hardware goods, canned food, electrical appliances etc. The port’s dock has 4 berths handling general cargo; 15,000 sq. m of open storage space; three warehouses; and a container terminal with an annual handling capacity of 100,000 TEU. The jetty has 5 privately owned wharves handling specific cargoes: Shell for instance handles only petroleum while another deals with iron ore shipments capable of accommodating carriers weighing around 200 000 DWT (deadweight tons).

Another berth is dedicated to methanol, while berths for handling wheat and cereals cover more than 500 m with a depth ranging between 5 and 10 m. The government has planned an expansion project, with a new wharf already constructed that can handle the biggest cargo ships.