BINTULU: Bintulu Port Sdn Bhd (BPSB) received three new Kalmar reach stackers — container handling equipment — which will be used to handle laden and empty containers at the Bintulu International Container Terminal’s (BICT) Container Freight Station (CFS) and Repo (Empty container) Block.
Bintulu Port Holdings Berhad Group chief executive officer Datuk Mohammad Medan Abdullah said BICT already has eight reach stackers at present.
He said many of the units have been utilised for more than 10 years and were also manufactured by Kalmar in 2006.
“Under our agreement for these new Kalmar reach stackers, the delivery period required four months from notice to commence works and hence the delivery is due on Dec 14. I am happy that we are able to get the reach stackers delivered to us three weeks ahead of scheduled time.
“Therefore, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all the parties involved in making this achievement happen,” Medan said during the handing over ceremony from Trac-Wheels (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd at Bintulu Port on Wednesday.
He said from January until October this year, BPSB recorded an increase in total container throughput by 14 per cent from 253,807 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in 2017 to 290,429 TEUs in 2018.
The transhipment volume has also increased by 30 per cent, with exports increasing by 8 per cent and imports increasing by 10 per cent.
“Nonetheless, we should not be satisfied and stop here. We should not feel comfortable and must keep striving for more. The moment you get comfortable, you will slide into complacency as stated by Greg Plitt, ‘Your comfort zone is your danger zone’,” he said.
Medan said Bintulu Port is committed to realising operational excellence in container and cargo productivity through instituting operational excellence initiatives, which consists of improvement on operational performance, internal capabilities and process and availability of assets and cost management.
In line with these initiatives, he said two new rubber tyred gantry cranes (RTG) will also be delivered to Bintulu Port by the third quarter of next year.
“Furthermore, I would like to announce that investments on additional port handling equipment and conversion of the general cargo berth/yard to a container terminal have also been planned,” he said.
He said all these initiatives are in line with Bintulu Port’s new vision to be a world-class port operator.
In order to achieve the vision, he said Bintulu Port must hold firmly to its corporate values of teamwork, integrity, innovation, and professionalism.
“In line with our focus on innovation, we are implementing the latest developments to our new handling equipment whereby these new Kalmar reach stackers will be equipped with Kalmar load measurement solution that are compliant with the Solas (Safety of Life at Sea) global standards.
“The system is a stand-alone system with printer that is located in the operator’s cabin to record the load weight data,” he explained.
He added this load measurement system will give more options for the port to weigh the export container directly from the handling process and can minimise congestion at the port gate to weigh the export container by using port weighbridge facilities.
Medan said this feature would immediately improve the productivity and efficiency of the operation.
Among those present at the event were Trac-Wheels (M) Sdn Bhd managing director Richard Song Swee Jin; Kalmar South and Southeast Asia vice-president Teo Yew Boon; and Bintulu Port Sdn Bhd chief operating officer Omar Salleh.
Source: The Borneo Post