KUCHING: Bintulu Port Holdings Bhd (BPHB) has
secured contracts from major oil and gas (O&G) companies as the company
expands its port business to provide base support services for the O&G
industry.
Wholly-owned
subsidiary Bintulu Port Sdn Bhd has won a five-year contract each from Petronas
Carigali Sdn Bhd and Petronas Floating LNG as well as a three-year contract
from Murphy Oil Sarawak for the provision of base support services at Bintulu
Port, according to BPHB chairman Tan Sri Ali Hamsa.
The
services cover the provision of storage areas, including both warehouse and
open space, material handling equipment, cargo handling equipment, passenger
handling, pilotage as well as container-carrying units.
Ali said
Petronas, a Bintulu Port anchor customer, had commenced operations of its new
LNG train (Train 9) last June and was slated to start commercial shipments by
last month.
The Train
9 adds 3.6 million tonnes per annum to the existing 25.7 million tonnes
production capacity, bringing to total 29.3 million tonnes per annum.
Last year,
Bintulu Port handled 25.24 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargo,
which was 0.6% higher than 2015.
In a
yearly review of the group’s performance in 2016, Ali said Bintulu Port
recorded a 14% growth in container throughput to 277,711 TEUs (20-foot
equivalent unit) against 243,699 TEUs in 2015.
In
addition to the O&G sector, he said Bintulu Port would work to capitalise
on the timely opportunities in other key growth sectors, like the palm oil
industry as well as the bulk and cargo generated from Samalaju Industrial Park.
The park
is home to energy intensive industries, including aluminium, ferroalloy and
manganese smelters set up under Sarawak Corridor for Renewable Energy
initiatives.
He said
the Samalaju Industrial Port Phase 1 was scheduled for full operation by June
this year.
The new deep
sea port currently operates interim facilities to handle cargo vessels carrying
loads weighting 8,000 deadweight tonnage (DWT). When Phase 1 is fully
operational, this will enable the port to service cargo ships up to 50,000 DWT.
The
Samalaju Industrial Port handled slightly over 450,000 tonnes of cargo last
year, and the projection is that this will surge to 11.2 million tonnes by
2019.
Source:
The Star