MUMBAI: Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ) Monday said it will begin a feasibility study on building a green field container port mainly at Carey Island, Malaysia. The port, to be located about 50 kms southwest of capital Kuala Lumpur, would be an extension of the existing Port Klang. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to that effect has been signed between APSEZ and MMC Port Holdings Sdn Bhd, a wholly-owned unit of MMC Corporation Berhad (MMC), a Malaysian utilities and infrastructure group with businesses ranging from ports and logistics, energy and utilities and engineering and construction.
“Malaysia is very strategic to APSEZ’s global strategy and with straits of Malacca being a global shipping route it helps us to drive our global transhipment strategy further. With Vizhinjam port on one side and Carey Island port on the other we will be able to give transhipment solutions to global shipping lines,” said Karan Adani, CEO, APSEZ. Simultaneously, MMC Port Holdings, Sime Darby Property Berhad and APSEZ have signed a separate MOU to study the feasibility of developing an integrated maritime city on Carey Island to support the planned new port. APSEZ operates container handling facilities at its flagship Mundra Port as well as in Hazira Port, both in Gujarat on India’s western coast and at Kattupalli near Chennai in Tamil Nadu on the eastern coast. It will soon start operating a new container handling facility it has built at Kamarajar Port at Ennore near Chennai. The company is also building a mega container transhipment port at Vizhinjam on India’s southern tip located in Kerala’s capital Thiruvananthapuram.
MMC Port Holdings is Malaysia’s largest port operating group and currently runs 5 terminals – Pelabuhan Tg Pelepas Sdn. Bhd., Johor Port Berhad, Northport (Malaysia) Bhd, Penang and Port Sdn. Bhd. It also owns a 20% stake in Red Sea Gateway terminal in Jeddah. MMC Port also operates two big logistics companies, Kontena Nasional and JP Logistics. Sime Darby Property is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sime Darby Berhad, which has presence in sectors such as plantation, industrial equipment, motors, property and logistics. Sime Darby Property is involved in property development, property investment and asset management, hospitality and leisure, with assets in Malaysia, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam and the United Kingdom.
