Northport, at Port Klang, has become the first Malaysian port to be awarded the “Halal” certification by the Halal Industry Development Corporation that further strengthens Northport’s global market outreach.

Northport expects that as a “syariah” compliant port it will be become a key component in the logistics and transportation chain and logistical integration to help shippers and shipping lines to tap into the US$500 billion global halal industry market.

“Northport, served by 123 shipping lines and connected to more than 300 ports worldwide, is particularly well-positioned to exploit the vast potential in the expanding “Halal” consumer product market because of its extensive dedicated facilities and services to ensure strict compliance with the “syariah” requirements and standards,” said Northport (Malaysia) Bhd, Managing Director/CEO, Datuk Basheer Hassan Abdul Kader.

In view of the size and scope of cargo handled, Northport offers greater economies as is already handling a wide range of ‘Halal’ products in large quantities, including dairy products, frozen foods, grains, fruits, cosmetics & pharmaceuticals, vegetable products and non-alcoholic beverages. These commodities are part of the total 3 million TEUs handled by the port in 2008.

Distributors of “Halal” products are now able to leverage on the versatile facilities at Northport that offer designated areas for packing and unpacking of inbound or outbound products. There are dedicated cold and cool room facilities to meet the requirements of especially foodstuffs that need refrigeration or temperature-controlled storage space.

The extensive global shipping connectivity, including MISC Halal Express Service adds to the special attraction of Northport to link the halal market, including in Europe and the Middle East.

MISC’s Halal Express Service was launched in November 2006 and following positive response from the trade, the weekly service is now served with six 4,250 TEU-container ships calling Pelabuhan Tanjung Pelepas, Northport (Port Klang), Karachi, Jebel Ali, Bandar Abas, Nhava Sheva, Colombo, Singapore, Shanghai and recent Pipava (in Gujerat, India).

On the 20th of October 2009, MISC launched its second service loop named Halal Express Service 2 with direct services to the Far East.

MISC operates a global liner service with leading lines serving major ports in the world.

“With more shipping lines beginning to tap into the growing specialized demand for transportation and logistics services for “Halal” products, we view the trend positively and are committed to further providing a wider range of services to meet the specific requirements of the trade,” said Datuk Basheer Hassan.

As with MISC, several other leading global shipping lines, like Maersk, Hapag Lloyd, Nippon Yusen Kaisha, Overseas Orient Container Lines, Mitsui OSK and Wai Hai Lines also link Northport to several Muslim-dominated consumer markets via key ports such as Rotterdam, Dubai and Marseille.