Хотя финансовый кризис замедлил развитие портовой инфраструктуры, взгляд в будущее остается оптимистическим. В публикации рассматривается развитие ведущих контейнерных портов Юго-Восточной Азии в 2010 – 2012 г.г., а также перспективы до 2016 г.
Although the typical rate of container traffic increase has clearly slowed down compared with the heady pre-financial crisis years, South East Asia’s leading container ports generally experienced steady growth in container throughput between 2010 and 2011. Moreover, the indications are that 2012 will see further record-breaking figures at the key ports within the region.
Figures from PSA show that Singapore has once again stamped its authority as the dominant regional hub. Last year the port handled a new record of 29.37m teu, 6.1% higher than in 2010. This performance also consolidated its position as the world’s second busiest container port after Shanghai.
Singapore is primarily a transhipment hub, and this role has stood the port in good stead. With larger container vessels coming into service, shipping lines are inevitably focusing on a few major regional hubs, and Singapore remains one of the few ports in South East Asia able to accept and handle latest-generation container ships of 13,000 teu and above. As a result, it is likely to benefit from increased transhipment activity over the next few years as the growth of other economies in the region generates more hub and spoke activity with Singapore at the centre.
PSA is poised to enjoy another record-breaking year in 2012, when it will almost certainly pass 30m teu for the first time. In the first two months of this year Singapore handled 4.82m teu, which was nearly 8% higher than in the equivalent period in 2011.
While in volume terms it is head and shoulders above all its regional rivals, Singapore does face competition, especially from the Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP) in nearby Malaysia. Its dominance will never really come under threat, though, given the scale of connections it can offer and its ability to handle large container ships without problem.
However, PSA does face a challenge in providing sufficient capacity to allow the port to continue to handle additional traffic without bottlenecks developing. Various stakeholders, including PSA, the government and major customers, are now actively involved in preparing a long-term capacity plan to ensure that Singapore remains well positioned to capture container trade-related growth in Asia over the coming decade and beyond.
Port Klang in Malaysia also had a good year in 2011, with total throughput up to around 9.6m teu, compared with 8.87m teu in 2010. One of the port’s main terminal operators, Westports, has confirmed a 15% increase in volume, to 6.4m teu from 5.6m teu the year before, underlining its leading market share. Transhipment activity surged by 22%, while local cargo movements were up by 13%, the company reports.
Westports confidently forecasts throughput in excess of 7m teu in 2010. The terminal operator is currently in the process of adding around 900 m of quay line, with associated handling equipment, and this will take its capacity to around 10m teu. The new berths will also be able to handle latest-generation container ships up to 18,000 teu capacity. Beyond this, Westports plans a 400-acre land reclamation project that is due for completion in 2013, with the construction of four further berths planned by 2016.
Investing heavily
The other major Klang operator, Northport, is investing heavily in new handling equipment, and has six new twin-lift container gantry cranes on order for delivery in 2013 and 2014. Four of these will be deployed on the new Wharf 8A facility, which is under construction. In addition, the terminal operator is to acquire four new straddle carriers, to replace older units, and 17 new RTGs, 13 of which will have an environmentally friendly all-electric specification.
Transhipment-orientated PTP in Johor achieved an increase of around 15% in 2011, handling 7.5m teu. This was the result both of strong organic growth from existing customers, such as Maersk Line and Evergreen, and of volumes generated by new lines starting to call at the terminal. Hanjin, STX Pan Ocean, MOL, “K” Line and China Shipping all added services over the course of last year.
While PTP is predominantly a transhipment hub, it is also handling more local import/export traffic. This side of the business grew by 30% last year, the company reports. PTP, which is 70% owned by MMC Corp, plans to add two new berths, which would take its annual capacity from around 8.4m teu to 10m teu. The company is also investing in improved yard management software to enhance productivity, and is upgrading the capacity of its first-generation gantry cranes.
After several years of growth, another Malaysian port, Bintulu, suffered a setback in 2011, with a 14% dip in its container traffic, to 215,000 teu. This was mainly due to a drop in transhipment volumes, of around 36%, owing to the diversion of containers moving to and from Sarawak and Sabah to PTP and Port Klang. By contrast, loaded import container traffic was up by 18% compared with 2010, and there is optimism that various industrial projects in the hinterland will boost local containerised cargo flows by around 100,000 teu over the next two years.
To cater for this growth potential, Bintulu port is pressing ahead with a significant investment programme. Two new Panamax gantry cranes will be in operation by May this year, taking the total at the port to four. In addition, eight new RTGs are on order and again will be in use by the end of May, taking the number of RTG units at Bintulu to 12. A new container freight station (CFS) with 5,000 sq m of covered space has also recently been completed and is now operational.
In the longer term, and in order to support the government’s Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE) initiatives in particular, further infrastructure investment is planned for Bintulu. This will include a 200 m extension of the container berths by 2015, boosting annual capacity to 600,000 teu.
Bintulu International Container Terminal (BICT) is the only port in East Malaysia/Borneo at the moment that has a direct main-line shipping service, through Evergreen Marine Corporation, which offers weekly services to Far East ports, including Kaohsiung, Hong Kong, Yantian, Jakarta, Surabaya and Manila. Marian Express Line and Harbour Link Line, both well-known regional players, have services connecting BICT with Hong Kong, Manila and selected Chinese ports, while there is also a weekly direct shipping service from BICT to Bangkok provided by Shin Yang Line.
Growth for Indonesia and Vietnam
Indonesian container port activity is also picking up strongly. The country’s state-owned port operator PT Pelabuhan Indonesia, which is being rebranded as the Indonesia Port Corporation (IPC), handled around 5.9m teu, in 2011, over 15% more than in 2010, despite capacity issues causing delays to vessels. Moreover, IPC has revealed that its profits rose by 33%, to US$176m for the year, while revenues were up over 40% at US$566m. This it attributes particularly to increased cargo traffic at Tanjung Priok, following around US$250m of investment in handling equipment and IT facilities.
These improvements have recently helped the Jakarta International Container Terminal (JICT) to handle its first 4,500 teu capacity container vessel – though this landmark serves only to highlight the fact that Indonesia is still well behind other major South East Asian ports in catering for latest-generation container vessel requirements. Further sustained investment is urgently required, both to take pressure off existing facilities and to allow larger vessel types to call here.
Vietnamese ports have also experienced continued container throughput growth, despite signs that overinvestment in new facilities has led to an excess of capacity in relation to demand. Terminals in the Ho Chi Minh City area handled around 3.85m teu last year, with those in the Cat Lai complex handled about 2.59m teu, roughly 1% up on 2010. Terminals in Cai Mep, however, achieved a throughput of 960,000 teu, over 60% higher than in 2010.
One of the fastest-growing of these is Cai Mep International Terminal (CMIT), a joint venture between Saigon New Port, Vinalines and APM Terminals (APMT), with the latter holding a 49% stake. APM Terminals is also responsible for the operation and management of the terminal, which handled its first containers in March 2011. In February this year CMIT took delivery of a new super post-Panamax ship-to-shore gantry crane and two more RTGs from ZPMC. The terminal now has a total of five shore-side gantry cranes, which should further boost its productivity.
CMIT benefits from access to a 14 m draught channel. Last December the terminal handled the CMACGM Laperouse, which at 13,830 teu capacity is the largest container ship to date to call in Vietnam.
This is APMT’s only recent investment in the region. However, Jack Poon, head of Asia Pacific Investments for the company, says, “We are actively discussing opportunities in South East Asia, which remains a focused investment region for APM Terminals.”
Another global terminal operator, ICTSI, is also seeking more opportunities in the region. Jose Manuel de Jesus, ICTSI vice president business development, Asia, says, “We are currently looking at and negotiating some terminals in South East Asia, although confidentiality agreements will not allow us to divulge any details of these projects yet. We can say we are studying the upgrading of facilities and installation of terminal equipment for two locations.”
Last year ICTSFs Asian volumes increased by 11%, from 2.65m teu in 2010 to 2.95m teu. One of its fastest-growing facilities was Davao in the southern Philippines, where the continuing shift towards containerisation for banana traffic propelled strong double-digit growth.
Автор: Clive Woodbidge
Источник: Container Management. – 2012. – April/May. – P. 41 – 43.