BREAK-BULK

Break-bulk handling is primarily undertaken at Butterworth Wharves, a

terminal completed in 1969 at a cost of RM60 million. Located on the
mainland, Butterworth Wharves is capable of handling 2.5 million tonnes
of cargo per annum. It offers a linear berth with a length of 1.05km

Figure 9.1 Perai Bulk Cargo Terminal

In 2013, Penang Port handled nearly 1.26 million tonnes of break-bulk

cargo. The major break-bulk commodities handled are iron and steel
packages, wood mouldings, rice, iron and steel billets, machineries and
components as well as asbestos products. These commodities either
originated or were destined to and from the entire hinterland of Penang
Port that stretches from the south of Thailand to northern Perak. Major
players in the break-bulk market are Ann Joo Steel, Southern Steel, Siam
FibreBoard, Dongwha Global Sales and Bernas among others.

Figure 9.3 Butterworth wharves

Butterworth Wharves has a land mass of nearly 60.7 hectares that houses
transits warehouses, storage warehouses and open spaces. Combined
warehouse space is approximately 38,000m2 capable of holding nearly
50,000m3 of cargo at any one time. Butterworth Wharves is also equipped
with various types of cargo handling equipment such as forklifts, prime
movers and trailers to expedite operations. Linkages to the national
highways and the national railway grid provide excellent connectivity to its
hinterlands. Penang Ports break-bulk handling performance standards
are ISO certified.

DRY-BULK
Under the Third Malaysia Plan (1975 - 1980), a dedicated bulk cargo
terminal was built to handle both dry and liquid bulks. Located south of the
Perai Power Station and to the north of the 1st Penang Bridge, it cost the
government around RM48.79 million to build back then. Named the Perai
Bulk Cargo Terminal or PBCT in short, it came with 5 berths and
measured 632 metres in length is capable of handling 3.9 million tonnes of

cargo per annum. 500 metres of berth is utilized for normal dry-bulk cargo
while the remaining 132 metres of berth is used for handling Dangerous
Goods (DG) in either liquid or gaseous state. An inner berth measuring
154 metres in length allows for the handling of both dry and liquid bulk
cargo. The design characteristics of the berths in PBCT are as follows:
BERT

DEPTH

MAXIMU

MAXIMUM

(In

ARRIVAL

METER

DWT

DISPLACEME

S)
BCT1
BCT2
BCT3
INNE
R
BERT
H

11
11
11
7.5

NT
50,000
25,000
50,000
10,000

(In TONNES)
66,667
33,300
66,667
13,333