Cargo handled at BICT up this year, says CEO

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BINTULU: The number of export and import containers handled at Bintulu International Container Terminal’s (BICT) increased by eight per cent and two per cent respectively.

According to Bintulu Port Holdings Berhad Group chief executive officer Dato Mohammad Medan Abdullah, the total number of containers handled through the gate increased to 186,709 units so far this year as compared to 181,287 units over the same period in 2018.

This increase he said has contributed to a high utilisation of Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) this year.

“The readiness and reliability of RTG’s is important to ensure a fast haulier turnaround time for receiving and delivery at the RTG yard, which in turn, also contributes to fast vessel turnaround time at the container berth,” he said during the handing over of new assets to Bintulu Port Sdn Bhd (BPSB) recently.

He said Bintulu Port has handled 316,978 TEUs (Twenty foot Unit equivalent) as of November 2019 for its container business.

“Whereas, the total number of trucks handled through the gate has increased to a total of 120,064 trucks compared to 117,740 trucks in 2018,” he added.

Bintulu Port is strategically located midway between Kuching, Sarawak and Kota Kinabalu, Sabah along the busy sea lanes of IntraAsia Trade with a deep sea harbour.

Bintulu Port is the import and export gateway for Sarawak and the Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) region.

Today, it is East Malaysia’s largest container port and the nation’s sole liquefied natural gas (LNG) export gateway and one of the largest LNG export terminals in the world.

Cargo generated from its hinterland is expected to increase as Sarawak Corridor for Renewable Energy (SCORE) Initiatives are implemented.