Strategically located along the Northwest coast of Peninsula Malaysia, Penang Port serves one of the busiest trade routes in the region and links Malaysia to more than 200 ports worldwide. Being a deepwater port and overlooking major shipping lanes in the Straits of Malacca, it is a choice port of call for traders within the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle and the Asia-Pacific region.
The North Channel approach has a depth of 10.7 metres A.C.D. Due to the 13.5 kilometre Penang Bridge, access through the South Channel is restricted to vessels with a draft of 5.8 metres A.C.D. and less, and an air-draft not exceeding 28 metres. The North-South Highway, spanning the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia from the Malaysia-Thailand border to the Malaysia-Singapore border, places Penang Port within easy reach of all major economic regions in the country. Penang Port is also linked directly with the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia via the East-West Highway. Penang Port also serves very well as a sea-air modal choice for cargo transportation as it takes only 30 minutes to arrive at the Bayan Lepas International Airport from the port. Penang Portโs terminal, the North Butterworth Container Terminal (NBCT) was gazetted as a Free Commercial Zone (FCZ) on 1 February 2021, which enables Penang Port to be the focal point for shipping and transshipment activities. Penang Port will capitalise on its FCZ status to tap into the Bay of Bengal market by undertaking transshipment activities for containers moving between the Bay of Bengal and the Far-East.