Kuantan Port

On 8 December 2022, Kuantan Port welcomed SITC’s CBX2 new service from Kuantan to China (Chittagong – Penang – Port Klang – Kuantan – Qingdao – Shanghai – Ningbo – Chittagong).

Kuantan Port, led by its Chief Executive Officer, Mr Vino Kumar, hosted a friendly welcoming ceremony for the first vessel for the new service together with the Managing Director of SITC, Mr Michael Zhang, and the rest of the management of Kuantan Port and SITC.

A simple exchange of mementoes was also done between Kuantan Port and SITC to symbolise the solid network of shipping connectivity between Kuantan Port and SITC. Kuantan Port is the only container port on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia, and it offers a direct call to China with a fast shipping time of four to eight days.

Kuantan Port received its first Green Port Award under the Green Port Award System (GPAS) program from the APEC Port Service Network.

The GPAS is a green port evaluation system for ports in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) region that evaluates green initiatives developed by the ports industry within the APEC region. It is also intended to encourage port-related industries to expand and manage their businesses in a more environmentally friendly manner.

Kuantan Port has embarked on various green port initiatives, including shore power supply, solar energy conversion, LED lighting for high masts, and replacing diesel-powered machinery with hybrid-powered engines, to name a few. This recognition indicates that Kuantan Port is on track to achieve Green Port status by 2030.

Kuantan Port aims to be one of the leading green ports in Malaysia with considerably environmentally friendly port operations and delivery to our customers. With a strategic plan called Kuantan Port Green Port Initiatives, guidelines have been developed for green project implementations in Kuantan Port, thus moving towards Green Port status by 2030.

The Kuantan Port Shore Power Supply project is one of the projects conducted under the Green Port Initiatives that supply shore power to our tug boats berthed at Kuantan Port. Yet another milestone! 

17 October 2022, Kuantan Port break another record by welcoming MV Heng Mao, the deepest vessel ever berthed in Kuantan Port with a 16.4-metre draught. With a capacity of 180,000 DWT, it is not only the deepest but also the heaviest vessel ever to call at Kuantan Port.

Another record-breaking vessel for Kuantan Port this year, and none of it would have been possible without the expertise of our pilots, led by Chief Pilot Captain Zaidi Abdul Zilah and not to forget the rest of the operation team.

On 5 September 2022, Kuantan Port welcomed MV True Corsair, the deepest vessel with a 15.4 metres draft ever berth in Kuantan Port.

It was not an easy task to keep the vertical distance between the lowest part of the ship’s hull and the seabed for only 2 metres gap. Hats off to Kuantan Port pilots and the rest of the operations team, as they have successfully brought the vessel into the Kuantan Port New Deep Water Terminal.

This may be the first time for the team to handle a vessel with such a draft, but this definitely would not be the last one. Kuantan Port recently revised the draft for the New Deep Water Terminal from 14.5 metres to 16.5 metres, which allows us to handle vessels up to 180,000 DWT.

26 April 2022, Kuantan Port and Qinzhou Port deepen the bilateral cooperation between Malaysia and China by signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the Jointly Build a New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor Logistic Node. 

The MoU signing was witnessed by the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, Y.B. Senator Datuk Lim Ban Hong and the Pahang State Secretary, YB Dato’ Sri Dr Sallehuddin Bin Ishak, at the MITI Tower in conjunction with Malaysia-China Investment Forum & The 10th Anniversary of the Establishment of China-Malaysia “Two Countries, Twin Parks”.

Kuantan Port, Chief Operating Officer Mazlim Bin Husin signed on behalf of Kuantan Port, while the Chief Executive Officer of Qinzhou Port, Zhou Yan, signed on behalf of Qinzhou Port.

Kuantan Port and Qinzhou Port will collaborate in long-term cooperation, promotion and resource sharing between both ports by leveraging the New Western Land-sea Corridor, one of the corridors under the Belt and Road Initiative that connects 190 ports in 90 countries around the world.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Kuantan Port will be expanded to cater to growing business, said Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.

Currently built on 486ha of land, he said the port was relatively small to handle the growing trade between the Malaysia–China Kuantan Industrial Park and the China–Malaysia Qinzhou Industrial Park in China.

“For now, we have identified a piece of 2,023ha land for the expansion plan,” Liow added.

The move, he said, was one of the efforts to prepare the port to receive more international cruises and cargo vessels in the future.

Other measures include the deepening of the port and the upgrading of its infrastructure.

Currently, a direct container line sails from Qinzhou Port in southern China to Kuantan Port thrice a month.

This was following the maiden voyage of cruise container ship MV Bei Bu Wan Zhi Xing, which arrived in Kuantan on Feb 13 with 284 passengers and crew.

Liow was speaking to reporters at the Chinese New Year celebration of the Malaysia–China Chamber of Commerce (MCCC) here yesterday.

At the event, Chinese ambassador to Malaysia Dr Huang Huikang announced that MCCC president Datuk Bong Hon Liong had been invited to attend the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference – a political advisory body of China – to be held on March 3.

“He will represent the Malaysian Chinese community to the meeting and this trip will help to further strengthen bilateral ties between the two countries,” said Dr Huang.

The chamber, said Bong, would continue to help non-Chinese businessmen tap into China’s market for the benefit of the country.

He also stressed on the importance of moderation, urging MCCC members to reject all forms of extremism to uphold the peace and harmony of the society.

Also present were Selangor Mentri Besar Azmin Ali, Malaysia–China Friendship Association president Datuk Abdul Majid Ahmad Khan and Malay Businessmen and Industrialist Association of Malaysia vice-president Datuk Naim Mohamad.

THE STAR | 1 MARCH 2015 |

KUALA LUMPUR: IJM Construction Sdn Bhd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of IJM Corp Bhd, has received a letter of award for a RM1.18bil contract from Kuantan Port Consortium Sdn Bhd (KPC).

The award was for the proposed design, construction and completion of New Deep Water Terminal Phase 1 at Kuantan Port, Pahang, for a period of 36 months, it said in a statement.

KPC is 62%-owned by Road Builder (M) Holdings Bhd, in turn a wholly-owned subsidiary of IJM.

THE STAR | 27 FEBRUARY 2015 |

KUANTAN: The expansion of Kuantan Port into a deepwater port is expected to be completed by next year, said Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.

Once completed, the port will be able to accommodate Cape-sized vessels and post-Panamax container ships of up to 200,000 deadweight tonnes (DWT).

DWT is a measurement of how much weight a ship can safely carry, and the container part of the port could only handle ships of up to 35,000 DWT.

“By then, Kuantan Port will be able to handle 52 million freight weight tonnes of bulk and container cargo,” said Liow in his speech to welcome the first cruise-cum-container ship from China to dock here yesterday, marking a first for Malaysia as well.

“I am confident that the port expansion will further boost the levels of trade and tourism between Malaysia and China, in addition to strengthening economic, cultural and diplomatic relations,” said Liow.

The arrival of MV Bei Bu Wan Zhi Xing (The Star of Beibu Gulf) with 284 passengers and crew on its maiden voyage on the “Maritime Silk Route” marked a significant milestone in the history of Kuantan Port as well as economic and social ties with its sister port in Qinzhou, China.

Liow said Kuantan Port Consortium would be investing RM3bil to double the current capacity of Kuantan Port with a new deepwater terminal.

On its part, the Government will invest RM1bil to build a 4.7km breakwater at the port, one of the longest in the world, as well as upgrading external infrastructure to support the port expansion.

“Kuantan Port has made significant progress in its development, with 17 cruise ships making port calls last year.

“Cargo handling has increased from 126,548TEUs to 131,244TEUs, almost a 4% increase,” he said, adding that the port would play an integral role in Malaysia’s maritime industry by paving the way for Malaysia to welcome more cruise ships to dock here to promote tourism.

Liow said the opening of the shipping line signified that Kuantan had become a model city that represented the realisation of partnership between Malaysia and China in building a 21st century Maritime Silk Road.

He said the twinning between the Malaysia-China Kuantan Industrial Park and Kuantan Port with Qinzhou in the form of sister ports and sister cities would mutually benefit both nations.

“The cross-border trade between Kuantan and Qinzhou ports will result in rapid transformation and increase in investments for both the East Coast Economic Region (ECER) and China’s Guangxi Region,” he said.

THE STAR | 14 FEBRUARY 2015 |