KUALA LUMPUR: Ships are taking up to an average of nine hours to dock at Port Klang terminals, as Westports and Northport see a sudden surge in number of vessels re-routed due to the ongoing Red Sea crisis.
Port Klang Authority (PKA) general manager Captain K. Subramaniam told Business Times, as of April 2024, the average berthing delay (ATA) for container vessels at Westports is 9.3 hours and at Northport, it is 1.9 hours.
Port Klang is facing vessel bunching due to the high number of vessels calling out of window.
Subramaniam explained that many shipping companies have had to change routes due to the Red Sea crisis, having to use the Cape of Good Hope instead of the Suez Canal.
"The change of route has resulted in longer voyages, necessitating shipping lines to omit some ports to catch up on their schedule. Hence, some lines calling at Port Klang are discharging more containers, which will be feedered to regional ports," he said.
Due to this, there has been an increase in volume of containers and yard density in both terminals, especially in Westports.
Subramaniam said the authority, in cooperation with terminal operators, have come up with a number of measures to ease the congestion at Port Klang.
These include prioritising vessels intended for loading export and transshipment containers to free up yard space and expediting the discharge and loading operations per vessel, by using more quay cranes.
"Extra rubber-tyred gantry cranes have been deployed to enhance yard operations," he said.
Subramaniam added that to ensure better planning and coordination, they have taken to requesting shipping lines to provide their berthing schedules in advance.
"Despite these efforts, the ongoing Red Sea crisis poses challenges that may prolong congestion issues. "
"Nevertheless, Port Klang Authority, in collaboration with terminal operators, is committed to taking all necessary steps to minimise the impact on the shipping and logistics industry," he said.
For the January and April period this year, Port Klang saw a five per cent decline in number of vessel calls at 4,575 vessels, compared with 4,779 vessel calls last year.
