[Berita Melayu] Malaysia can become hub for break bulk carriers
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Muhammad
Oct 16, 2005, 9:55:21 AM10/16/05
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KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has potential to become a transshipment hub for break bulk carriers due to its state-of-the-art ports and strong cargo base, said Barwil Agencies Sdn Bhd (Barwil Malaysia) managing director Winston W.F. Loo.
He said Malaysia could pursue the aim of becoming a transshipment hub for break bulk cargo by taking the cue from the country’s success in having become a successful transshipment hub for containerised cargo.
Loo:'We have an advantage because we have our own cargo base.
“We can do the same thing for the break bulk cargo, mainly because we have our own cargo base, which is an advantage for Malaysia when compared with Singapore and Hong Kong,” he told Bernama in an interview.
Break bulk carriers transport miscellaneous goods and commodities in non-containerised form and usually load and unload in loose form.
Barwil Malaysia provides various services like ship agency operations, freight forwarding, air freight, customs brokerage, cargo brokerage, total logistics services and project management.
A joint-venture company with Barwil Agencies AS, a wholly owned subsidiary of Wilh. Wilhelmsen ASA (WW) of Norway, Barwil Malaysia is also the single largest agency house in Malaysia with 13 offices, covering all ports in the country.
Currently, Loo said, most of the break bulk carriers went from port to port to load and unload goods and their frequencies or schedules depended very much on the cargo volume.
“If there are only 300 tonnes of goods, it doesn’t justify (in terms of a vessel’s costs and port charges) bringing in a carrier. You must have a minimum of between 1,000 and 2,000 tonnes of goods (to bring in a vessel),” he said.
But with a transshipment hub in the country, exporters could have more regular services, he argued.
“If we could do that successfully in Malaysia, then we can move up and get other regional break bulk cargoes, such as those from the various Indonesian islands to be transhipped from here,” said Loo.
Barwil, he said, had discussed the proposal with Malaysian ports and terminals, which had shown keen interest but had yet to pursue it seriously.
“The Government could come in and help us ‘grow’ such ideas. When you start something new, you need to be aggressive. We have to show carriers that we are ready for this and give them incentives and let them try things out,” he added.
Among the factors that prompted Barwil to propose a transshipment hub for break bulk carriers are the cost and operational efficiency in Malaysian ports and the need for taking steps to minimise potential damage and losses as transshipment involves double handling – bringing in the goods and transporting them out again.
Loo said damages were possible in break bulk operations as the goods were not as “protected” as in containerised cargoes.
As such, ports have to ensure that their stevedores are well trained in various types of cargo handling.
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Posted by Muhammad to Berita Melayu at 10/16/2005 06:54:00 AM
He said Malaysia could pursue the aim of becoming a transshipment hub for break bulk cargo by taking the cue from the country’s success in having become a successful transshipment hub for containerised cargo.
Loo:'We have an advantage because we have our own cargo base.
“We can do the same thing for the break bulk cargo, mainly because we have our own cargo base, which is an advantage for Malaysia when compared with Singapore and Hong Kong,” he told Bernama in an interview.
Break bulk carriers transport miscellaneous goods and commodities in non-containerised form and usually load and unload in loose form.
Barwil Malaysia provides various services like ship agency operations, freight forwarding, air freight, customs brokerage, cargo brokerage, total logistics services and project management.
A joint-venture company with Barwil Agencies AS, a wholly owned subsidiary of Wilh. Wilhelmsen ASA (WW) of Norway, Barwil Malaysia is also the single largest agency house in Malaysia with 13 offices, covering all ports in the country.
Currently, Loo said, most of the break bulk carriers went from port to port to load and unload goods and their frequencies or schedules depended very much on the cargo volume.
“If there are only 300 tonnes of goods, it doesn’t justify (in terms of a vessel’s costs and port charges) bringing in a carrier. You must have a minimum of between 1,000 and 2,000 tonnes of goods (to bring in a vessel),” he said.
But with a transshipment hub in the country, exporters could have more regular services, he argued.
“If we could do that successfully in Malaysia, then we can move up and get other regional break bulk cargoes, such as those from the various Indonesian islands to be transhipped from here,” said Loo.
Barwil, he said, had discussed the proposal with Malaysian ports and terminals, which had shown keen interest but had yet to pursue it seriously.
“The Government could come in and help us ‘grow’ such ideas. When you start something new, you need to be aggressive. We have to show carriers that we are ready for this and give them incentives and let them try things out,” he added.
Among the factors that prompted Barwil to propose a transshipment hub for break bulk carriers are the cost and operational efficiency in Malaysian ports and the need for taking steps to minimise potential damage and losses as transshipment involves double handling – bringing in the goods and transporting them out again.
Loo said damages were possible in break bulk operations as the goods were not as “protected” as in containerised cargoes.
As such, ports have to ensure that their stevedores are well trained in various types of cargo handling.
--
Posted by Muhammad to Berita Melayu at 10/16/2005 06:54:00 AM
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