GEORGE TOWN: The Northern Petroleum Terminal (NPT) will be developed under the Penang Port master plan currently being drawn up.
Penang Port Commission (SPPP) chairman Datuk Yeoh Soon Hin said the NPT will be constructed at the port installation and will operate as a bulk petroleum storage facility designed to accommodate medium-range class tankers.
He said the NPT will be built alongside the North Butterworth Container Terminal (NBCT) expansion, which involves 322.83 hectares of reclaimed land.
“The proposed development of these projects is in line with the Penang Port master plan developed by the SPPP,” he said in a statement today in conjunction with Transport Minister Anthony Loke’s visit to Penang Port in Butterworth yesterday.
Yeoh also said the development plan includes infrastructure upgrades at the Pangkalan Raja Tun Uda (PRTU) ferry terminal, which will be rejuvenated with a modern concept to enhance visitor comfort and satisfaction, ultimately improving operational productivity.
He said the commercial area will have an open-air parking area, a sea-view observatory deck, a food and beverage centre, a garden bridge, and other commercial activities with the potential to attract local and international tourists.
Additionally, he said the extension of the Swettenham Pier Cruise Terminal (SPCT) will allow Oasis-class cruise ships to dock simultaneously with a maximum capacity of 12,000 passengers.
“Furthermore, ferry services will also be improved with four new ferries and upgrades to the Pangkalan Sultan Abdul Halim (PSAH) and PRTU terminals to improve public transport connectivity,” he added.
Yeoh also said the SPPP has implemented the vessel traffic management system (VTMS), transforming manual traffic control into a more efficient shipping traffic control system to ensure a safer operating environment.
Besides handling cargo imported and exported by sea, he said Penang Port also manages cargo via rail transport, with a 561-metre rail siding capacity at NBCT to handle up to 33 wagons at one time.
He said the federal government has planned to extend the rail siding to 1,051 metres, which will allow 50 wagons to be handled at one time, a project currently being pursued in collaboration with various relevant parties.
Loke was on a one-day working visit to Penang yesterday. He was briefed on the Penang Port development plan, visited the VTMS control tower, and toured the Penang Ferry Museum located at Tanjong City Marina.
