KUALA LUMPUR: Northport (Malaysia) Bhd has marked a significant achievement by breaking new annual throughput records in both its container and conventional cargo business segments, handling a remarkable 3,328,508 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) as of November 27, 2024. This surpasses its previous annual record of 3,324,364 TEUs, set in 2021.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the port operator announced it has also set a new record for conventional cargo, managing 11,434,814 freight weight tonnes (FWTs), exceeding the previous annual record of 11,405,312 FWTs achieved in 2023. The year 2024 presented challenges for the port and shipping industry, largely driven by global factors such as geopolitical tensions in the Red Sea region.

Despite these challenges, Northport has shown resilience by accommodating more ad-hoc calls and introducing new services. These disruptions have significantly impacted global trade routes and port operations, prompting liners to make ad-hoc calls to other ports. In March 2024,
the port set a new record for the highest break bulk cargo handling from a single vessel, managing 48,853 FWTs of steel cargo from the conventional cargo vessel MV Jin Chao, surpassing its previous record of 47,246 FWTs handled from MV Wu Yi Hai in May 2022.

In a further testament to its capabilities, on May 20, 2024, Northport welcomed its largest container vessel to date, the MV OOCL Japan, with a capacity of 21,413 TEUs, surpassing the previous record held by Eugen Maersk (11,000 TEUs) in 2013. The momentum continued into August 2024, with Northport setting new monthly records for the second consecutive month, achieving a historic container throughput of 365,558 TEUs and breaking its conventional cargo record by handling 1,145,021 FWTs, exceeding July’s performance.

In September, Northport again set a new record for the highest break bulk cargo handling from a single vessel, managing 52,480 FWTs of steel cargo from the conventional cargo vessel MV African Blackbird, surpassing its previous record set in
March 2024. Northport, one of the largest multi-purpose gateway ports in the national ports system, is grouped under MMC Port Holdings Sdn Bhd, Malaysia’s largest integrated logistics service provider.