Southpoint, Malaysia

Southpoint, Malaysia is a port in Klang District, Selangor, Malaysia. Called Port Swettenham under British rule, it was the only port in the area and was administered by Malayan Railways Limited. Today Southpoint has undergone massive rehabilitation and offers a range of facilities and services for the handling of a variety of cargoes; it is now one of three ports in the area (see Port Klang and Northport), and has been administered by the Port Klang Authority since 1963.

The history of Port Klang (now the most important port in Malaysia) began more than 100 years ago at Southpoint, then a small railway port that was known as Port Swettenham. For many years it was the national gateway, offering a wide range of port facilities and services and handling all cargo types such as general, breakbulk and liquid bulk.

The demand for port facilities at Port Klang, consistent with the growth of the economy in the seventies, and the advent of containerization, saw the development of Northport eclipsing the role of Southpoint. Southpoint became a home only to small coastal ships, tugs, barges, fishing crafts and inter-island ferries.

The Selangor Polo Club was founded in Port Swettenham in 1902 but it moved to Kuala Lumpur in 1911.

Major efforts have now been initiated by Northport ( Malaysia) Bhd, which owns and operates Southport, to revitalize the port. Southpoint is rapidly emerging into a regional conventional transshipment hub.

Southpoint caters to ships serving the short-sea trades in the region. It also has facilities for the handling of liquid bulk cargo, especially palm oil and rubber latex, as well as dry bulk cargo. Southpoint also handles cargo such as vehicles and machineries.

Designated as a 'Free Commercial Zone' in February 2004, Southpoint offers itself as a customs-free cargo consolidation centre for re-shipment of cargoes shipped in conventional form from neighbouring and riverine ports.

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