by AZALEA AZUAR / pic courtesy of Northport

MMC Group’s subsidiary, Northport (M) Bhd, has received nine units of new rubber tyred gantry (RTG) cranes from Mitsui E&S Machinery Co Ltd.

This is out of the total 23 diesel-powered RTG units and 11 electrified RTG units it has purchased.

CEO Datuk Azman Shah Mohd Yusof said Northport has decided to remodel and reorganise its terminal to boost its port capacity.

This is due to its congested port in early 2021 and 2022 as well as the expectation of continually high container and conventional cargo handling at Northport.

“The terminal reconfiguration plan involves the conversion and development of a new container yard and acquisition of new port equipment. 

“The move is necessary as we have been handling high volumes of container cargo in recent years and we foresee that this upward trend will continue in the coming years,” he said in a statement.

Azman Shah is also confident that these new RTGs will boost the efficiency and productivity of its container operations.

At the same time, it is able to fulfil its commitment to continually provide high quality service to its valuable customers.

“The delivery of the new RTGs today is a step forward for Northport in becoming a safer, greener, smarter and better port,” Azman Shah added.

At the moment, Northport runs a fleet of 84 RTG cranes, including 71 diesel-powered RTGs and 13 electrified ones.

Mitsui E&S cranes and systems division GM Atsufumi Takashi said these new RTGs are outfitted with cutting-edge features and technology.

Therefore, they will ensure dependable and consistent service to satisfy the expanding needs of today’s port industry.

“We are delighted that finally we are able to handover these new RTGs to Northport. 

“It is also a proud moment for Mitsui E&S after completing the designing and manufacturing works of the terminal equipment and delivering the RTGs for the first time to Northport,” he added.

Also present during the handover ceremony was the First Secretary of Japan Embassy in Malaysia Saito Hiroaki who said that this occasion marked the beginning of a strategic cooperation between the two parties.

“This venture presents an opportunity for more collaboration and at the same time further strengthens the bilateral relations between Malaysia and Japan,” he added.

Northport has set two consecutive records for the past two years where it has successfully handled 3,324,364 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEUs) of containers in 2021 and recorded 11,115,670 freight weight tonnes (FWTs) of cargo throughput.

It also aims to buy 11 more units of electrified RTG cranes for its J Block, in line with its environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives.

These will be fully delivered by December this year.

Moreover, Northport has also included the new Northport Distripark Sdn Bhd 2 (NDSB2) warehouses which are equipped with solar panels, natural air ventilation system, translucent panel for natural lighting system, industrialised building system (IBS) and rainwater harvesting system.

Northport is also evaluating the use of liquefied natural gas (LNG) for its main motors as well as B10 biodiesel for its terminals and vehicles as part of the company’s green initiatives.