KUALA LUMPUR: Northport (Malaysia) Bhd achieved a new record by handling 11.41 million freight weight tonnes (FWT) of conventional cargo in 2023, a 2.6% increase over 11.12 million FWTs recorded in 2022.
In a statement, the port operator and member of MMC Group said the increase in cargo handled was driven by the significant increase in break bulk commodities, which registered 9.5% growth compared to the previous year, as well as increases in the dry bulk and liquid bulk segment.
In the Roll-on Roll-off (RoRo) segment, the company also witnessed a significant increase in the handling of electric vehicle (EV) cars in 2023, resulting from the government’s policies promoting electric vehicles.
In October, Northport recorded the highest ever monthly conventional throughput by clocking 1.13 million FWTs, surpassing its previous best of 1.08 million FWTs set in May 2022.
Northport CEO Datuk Azman Shah Mohd Yusof noted that that the company's made these achievements despite the slow recovery in major trading countries and global trade uncertainty, especially in the first half of the year.
He added that there were additional challenges during the rainy season in the last quarter of the year as conventional cargo operations are typically halted during rainfall.
"What we lack in terms of land area, we made up for it through higher productivity and process improvements," said Azman.
