Logistics
Northport Aims To Be First Port Operator With Halal Cert
By Premalatha Jayaraman, BERNAMA
Apr 30, 2007, 16:34

KUALA LUMPUR, April 30 (Bernama) -- Northport (Malaysia) Bhd expects to be the first port operator in Malaysia to obtain halal certification for dedicated facilities handling halal containers.

The halal certification from the Department of Islamic Development (Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia or Jakim) will give Northport the recognition for quality handling of halal products based on Syariah principles, said its managing director and chief executive officer Datuk Basheer Hassan Abdul Kader.

"We hope the exercise will be completed soon," he told Bernama in a recent interview.

The operator of Northport in Port Klang near here is currently working with Jakim on the certification of its 115,000-square foot warehouse for specially handling halal containers and the standard operating procedures for this operation.

Basheer said the warehouse has since 2001 been offering designated areas for packing and unpacking of inbound or outbound halal products.

More than 80 shipping lines have used the warehouse to provide direct and feeder shipping connectivity to over 200 ports in Asia, Europe, the Mediterranean, Africa and West Asia to reach the one billion global Muslim market, he said.

"The revenue prospects for handling and distribution of halal products must be seen as part of the value-adding activities that we are fostering at Northport," Basheer said.

"Essentially, this will be centred at our Distripark services which is rapidly becoming a profitable source of business for Northport," he said.

Last year, the port handled about 150,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) of containerised cargo at Distripark, up from 90,000 TEUs in 2001, he added.

Northport recently announced a three-year expansion plan, which involved a capital expenditure (capex) of RM585 million to enhance its infrastructure.

The additional capex would also be used to expand the facilities and services at Distripark, such as for extending the scope for testing and certification of halal products, Basheer said.

Disclosing that Northport was keen to work closely with other port operators outside Malaysia to become a successful hub for handling halal containers, Basheer said such ports included the Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

"We seek the possibility of Northport collaborating with this port which has been certified as the only European halal hub with an outreach of about 30 million Muslims living in Europe," he said.

Basheer said the scope for expanding distribution of halal products was currently available through the lead logistics providers operating at Northport as they have established links with their network of companies in ports such as the Port of Rotterdam.

Such cooperation, he said, would serve to expand the bilateral trade in halal products, thus mutually benefiting both ports concerned.

He also said that Northport would also like to work with other emerging halal hubs, including the Port of Marseilles in France and the Port of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates which have direct access to very large Muslim consumer markets.


© Copyright 2006 by halaljournal.com