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Malaysian ports must improve infrastructure to keep pace with intra-Asia trade

Malaysia needs to accelerate investment in port infrastructure to capitalise on growing intra-Asia trade, delegates at the Logistics Symposium 2026 in Kuala Lumpur heard yesterday. Westports Malaysia CEO Vijaya Kumar Puspowanam said intra-Asia trade continued to expand despite the conflict in the Middle East and ports must be prepared to expand capacity quickly, given their standing as major chokepoints in the supply chain. He said: "We're confident in adding capacity, especially at the port. We have to be willing to take the risk faster and more confidently because ports are the biggest chokepoint. If there's continuous demand, and if we continue hitting trigger points of 80% utilisation, we'll be confidently building capacity, at least for the next 15 years." Westports, which operates nine terminals in Port Klang, is developing Westports 2, which will add eight terminals and double the annual handling capacity, to 28m teu, in the 2040s. Mr Vijaya Kumar also highlighted capacity constraints at Port Klang, claiming even a single maintenance operation could result in significant congestion. He said Westports had lacked land to expand and had approached the government in 2019 to increase capacity. It secured government approval in 2023 to proceed with the Westports 2 expansion. Meanwhile, Kuantan's chief commercial officer, Mazlim Husin, said the port, which can handle up to 500,000 teu annually, was prepared to expand its capacity to meet future demand. The port has two basins, the first operating at full capacity and the second offering a draught of about 60 metres. Mr Mazlim said: "In this second basin, we have capacity to build, in terms of more yachts, more boats and more basins." MTT Shipping and Logistics MD and co-founder Kenny Ooi Lean Hin added that Asean had emerged as one of the major beneficiaries of shifting global trade patterns, driven by supply chain realignments as China diversifies its markets into the region. He said Malaysia must take "a broader view of the logistics ecosystem" to accommodate anticipated growth in cargo volumes, including addressing bottlenecks at ports and in drayage services. He noted that trucking capacity was shrinking due to poor turnaround times, congestion around ports, driver shortages, and other operational challenges, and stressed that capacity building across the logistics sector was essential to support future growth. He asked: "Why are we not having enough capacity to meet the future growth? There's no point having just a port's capacity expanded if the entire ecosystem cannot support it."

Klaus-Michael Kuehne, who towered over forwarding and shipping, dead at 89

The honorary chairman of Kuehne+Nagel and largest single shareholder in Hapag-Lloyd has died, leaving an empire that straddles both sides of the logistics counter and an open question about what comes next. There was no one else in global logistics quite like Klaus-Michael Kuehne. The German billionaire, who died on Monday at the age of 89, occupied a position that was structurally unique and, to competitors, frequently unnerving: controlling owner of the world's number-one sea and air freight forwarder, ...

Appeal to president as congestion at Durban box terminal hits crisis point

Extreme congestion at South Africa's Durban Gateway Terminal has got so bad that on Friday, the presidency was called in to help as the port struggles to migrate to a new management system amid equipment breakdowns. And one source told The Loadstar this morning little had changed over the weekend, adding that the port's operator "hasn't managed to claw back much of the congestion, stacks are still very elevated". Carriers are warning shippers to expect delays of anywhere up to a week as the port tries to clear a cargo backlog, with MSC warning that impending bad weather could create further issues. Noting that August was "traditionally the windiest period of the year in Durban," MSC told customers that "weather-related disruptions may place additional pressure on terminal performance", while pointing out that productivity was less than a third of its usual level. It further noted that "several quay cranes are experiencing breakdowns and reliability issues, due to ageing equipment, and there is a shortage of straddle carriers", adding that while there were investment plans under consideration, "no new equipment has been commissioned". The South African Association of Freight Forwarders (SAAFF) said the issues had emerged in the wake of the terminal's transition to the Navis N4 container management system, the wider operational and equipment issues compounding the situation. Chief executive Juanita Maree said: "Given the inability of the relevant port structures to contain and resolve the situation, SAAFF has escalated the matter to the highest office in the country, on behalf of industry, calling for immediate intervention. "This is now a crisis. With severe knock-on effects spreading rapidly across national supply chains, we can confirm that a delegation from the presidency has visited the port to engage directly and support mobilisation of solutions commensurate with its scale and urgency." SAAFF is also calling for urgent changes to the rules around private sector participation in the nation's gateways, including implementation of structures for prevention, early warning, and rapid intervention. International Container Terminal Services (ICTSI) acquired 49% of Durban Gateway Terminal this year after a contentious battle with APM Terminals, following South Africa's decision to allow private sector participation in port operations. The deal with ICTSI was seen as necessary to deal with a decades-long problem of inadequate equipment and unending problems with congestion, but voices have expressed criticism that these developments are not happening fast enough.