KUALA LUMPUR: MMC Corp Bhd's subsidiary Johor Port Bhd has surpassed one million twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEUs) in cargo capacity in 2020 amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Johor Port chief executive officer Md Derick Basir said the port operator was pleased with the achievement despite the headwinds of Covid-19 as well as shortage of empty containers in Malaysia and other parts of the region, affecting the overall port business and related industry sectors.
"However, Johor Port still managed to progress its business efficaciously and surpassed the one million mark for 2020," he said in a statement today.
Johor Port posted a 6.0 per cent growth year-on-year (YoY) in the first quarter of 2020 but the emergence of the pandemic had affected its business for three months consecutively.
With the re-opening up of industries on May 4, Johor Port said export volume had regained its momentum as manufacturers stepped up their production to meet the pre-Movement Control Order.
Johor Port's export and import volume have shown some improvement mainly due to the strong support of gateway cargoes, mainly were derived from the production by major industry players.
Johor Port was able to secure four new services in 2020, mainly to the intra-Asia region.
It also managed to entice Sealand to bring in a new service to cater for their short haul cargoes.
Apart from the traditional gateway business, Johor Port had also encouraged ad-hoc calls and mini transshipments which provided the additional volume to the terminal.
Operational improvements also contributed to productivity improvement and Yard efficiency which resulted in a better Gross Moves Per Hour (GMPH) of 22 cranes as opposed to previous years where the terminal had been consistently operating at a GMPH figure of 20 crane moves per hour.
"We remain optimistic on our growth prospects throughout the year, as we witnessed global trade recovering gradually.
"While we are expecting a long recovery period of between six months to an entire year, Johor Port is committed to ensuring business continuity and for the Port to be managed well throughout this volatile time," added Md Derick.
Johor Port has leverage through its strategic positioning as a major regional commodity hub which connects Asean to the intra-Asia region as well as a competitive edge in its customer segmentation, despite the economic uncertainty.
This includes shipping lines, Non-Vessel Operation Common Carriers (NVOCC), manufacturers and logistics operators.
As a full-fledged multi-purpose port with wide shipping connectivity, Johor Port is living up to its position as the main gateway to Asia Pacific with direct calls to intra-Asia destinations.
Johor Port said ports and terminals represented a doorway to maximise the country's economic development and a crucial lifeline that interconnects local communities to the regional and global markets.
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development expects maritime trade growth to return to a positive territory and expand by 4.8 per cent in 2021, assuming the world economic output recovers.