The map in one table
| Gateway | Where | JS-SEZ zone | What it handles | Latest reported figure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP) | Gelang Patah, south-west Johor | Tanjung Pelepas | Container transshipment | 14.03m TEU in 2025 |
| Johor Port | Pasir Gudang, east of JB | Nearest: Tanjung Langsat–Kong Kong | Containers, bulk, break-bulk, liquids | 1.08m TEU and 16.95m freight-weight tonnes in 2025 |
| Tanjung Langsat Port | Tanjung Langsat, Pasir Gudang | Tanjung Langsat–Kong Kong | Petroleum, edible oil, bulk; containers since Oct 2024 | 855,000 m³ petroleum storage (Dialog terminal) |
| Pengerang Deepwater Terminals | Pengerang, Kota Tinggi | Pengerang | Oil, petrochemicals, LNG | About 614,000 m³ being added by mid-2028 |
| Senai International Airport | Senai, Kulai | Senai–Skudai | Passengers and air cargo; free zone | 3.82m passengers in 2025 |
| Causeway (BSI checkpoint) | JB city centre | JB Waterfront | Road and rail crossing to Woodlands | Checkpoint next to JB Sentral |
| Second Link (KSAB checkpoint) | Tanjung Kupang, Gelang Patah | Iskandar Puteri / Tanjung Pelepas | Road crossing to Tuas | Links to the Second Link Expressway |
Zone names follow the nine JS-SEZ flagship zones announced by MIDA. Johor Port's zone is our reading of its location; no source states it. Always confirm the zone of a specific plot.
1. Seaports
Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP)
Where: on the Pulai River estuary at Gelang Patah, facing Singapore's Tuas area across the western Johor Strait. Operator: a member of the MMC Ports group.
Volume and capacity: PTP handled a record 14,028,375 TEU in 2025, up from 12.3 million in 2024. Its safe operating capacity was reported at about 14 million TEU in July 2025, so it is running close to full. A plan of about RM3 billion adds a 340 m quay extension, 15 quay cranes and 58 electrified yard cranes, taking capacity to about 16.5 million TEU by mid-2028. On 6 October 2026 the Transport Minister said the ministry supports a second phase ("PTP2") of up to 48 million TEU a year; no cost or completion date was given.
For occupiers: PTP is a transshipment hub for the Gemini Cooperation (Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd). The Pelepas Free Zone next to it has about 7 million sq ft of warehousing at a reported 98% occupancy, so free-zone space there is tight.
Johor Port, Pasir Gudang
Where: Pasir Gudang, on the eastern Johor Strait, in the middle of Johor's oldest heavy-industry belt. Facilities (operator): 24 berths over 4.9 km, a design capacity of 40 million tonnes a year, and a 660-acre free zone.
Volume: a record 1.08 million TEU and 16.95 million freight-weight tonnes of conventional cargo in 2025. An RM140 million project added two liquid jetties for vessels up to 120,000 DWT, adding about 5 million tonnes a year of liquid capacity. The port reports up to 1,800 truck movements a day.
For occupiers: the natural gateway for palm oil, chemicals, bulk and break-bulk users. Together, PTP and Johor Port were reported in October 2026 to be close to a combined 15 million TEU target for the year.
Tanjung Langsat Port
Further east at Tanjung Langsat, this port handles bulk, break-bulk and liquids, especially petroleum and edible oil. JLand (part of JCorp) began container operations here on 3 October 2024. A further container port has been mentioned, but no capacity or timeline has been published. The surrounding industrial complex has reported RM34 billion of investment.
Pengerang
At the south-east tip of the peninsula, the Pengerang Integrated Petroleum Complex hosts deepwater oil, petrochemical and LNG terminals. Dialog's Pengerang Deepwater Terminals is adding about 614,000 m³ of storage, backed by a long-term agreement with BP Singapore, for completion around mid-2028. This is a specialist location for energy and chemicals, not general manufacturing.
Tanjung Bin, west of PTP, is a power-generation site (coal plants of 2,100 MW and 1,000 MW), not a cargo port.
2. Senai International Airport
Where: Senai, in Kulai district, north-west of JB city, in the Senai–Skudai zone. Operator: Senai Airport Terminal Services, part of the MMC group (not Malaysia Airports).
Passengers: 3.82 million in 2025, against a terminal capacity of about 5 million after a 2023 upgrade. A 7 million target by 2030 was reported in 2023–2024; we found no recent source confirming a funded plan for it.
Cargo: the cargo terminal is designed for 80,000 tonnes a year. In September 2026 FedEx began routing inbound shipments from its Singapore hub directly to Senai customs, instead of via KL, reported to save up to two hours into Johor.
Free zone: the Senai Airport free zone is expanding by about 250 acres to roughly 650 acres, about 85% occupied, with tenants including Mercedes-Benz parts logistics, DHL Supply Chain, Hershey and Wiwynn.
3. Highways and the two crossings to Singapore
| Road | Route | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| North–South Expressway (E2) | From the Klang Valley south through Kulai and Senai to Pandan, JB | The main spine to the rest of Peninsular Malaysia. Widening is under way between Senai Utara and Simpang Renggam, with packages due around mid-2027 and mid-2028. |
| Second Link Expressway (E3) | Senai Airport to the Second Link bridge at Tanjung Kupang, with a spur to PTP | Connects Senai, Iskandar Puteri and PTP to Tuas in Singapore. |
| Senai–Desaru Expressway (E22) | Senai east to Desaru | Links the airport and Kulai to Pasir Gudang, Tanjung Langsat and, via federal roads, Pengerang. |
| Eastern Dispersal Link (E14) | Pandan to the Causeway checkpoint | Takes North–South traffic straight into the BSI checkpoint. |
| Iskandar Coastal Highway | Iskandar Puteri to JB city centre | A toll-free coastal route between the two city centres. |
| Pasir Gudang Highway (FT17) | JB to Pasir Gudang | About 10 km being widened from four to six lanes, due for completion in November 2026. |
Two crossings to Singapore: the Causeway (Bangunan Sultan Iskandar checkpoint, JB city to Woodlands) and the Second Link (Kompleks Sultan Abu Bakar checkpoint, Tanjung Kupang to Tuas). Which one suits you depends on where in Singapore your goods or staff are going.
Route descriptions draw on Wikipedia and should be confirmed with PLUS, LLM or JKR for specific works. No third crossing has a current official proposal.
4. Rail
RTS Link (Bukit Chagar to Woodlands North)
A 4 km shuttle taking about 5 minutes, with capacity of up to 10,000 passengers per hour in each direction and clearance for both countries done at the departure station. Woodlands North links to Singapore's Thomson–East Coast Line. Timing: LTA's project page still says end-2026, but Bernama reported on 2 October 2026 that passenger service is expected to start in February 2027, after trials finish by 31 December 2026. Treat February 2027 as the latest reported date, not a confirmed one.
For occupiers: mainly a people link. It matters most for offices, showrooms and staff housing near JB city and for firms whose managers commute from Singapore.
Gemas–Johor Bahru electrified double track
The 192 km line opened on 11 December 2025, and ETS trains between KL Sentral and JB Sentral started the next day, with journeys reported at around 4 hours 20 minutes. We found no published data yet on its effect on rail freight.
5. Border clearance for people and cargo
- People: Malaysia's MyNIISe QR clearance has run at both checkpoints since a trial began on 22 September 2025, with more than 19.48 million QR transactions by 28 June 2026. Singapore has offered passport-free QR clearance at its land checkpoints since March 2024.
- Cargo: since 1 January 2025, land intermodal transshipments through Singapore need one Singapore Customs transshipment permit instead of two. Industry is still asking for a single trade window, mutual recognition of licences and automated cargo clearance, which are not yet in place.
- Woodlands Checkpoint: Singapore is redeveloping it to about five times its current size over 10–15 years, including automated clearance for cargo vehicles.
- Coming next: the JS-SEZ master plan is expected in December 2026 and may change some of the above.
6. A note on power and water
For many industrial buyers, utilities now matter as much as transport. Wood Mackenzie estimated in June 2026 that Johor's data-centre capacity of about 3.8 GW compares with installed generation of about 6.8 GW, and that data centres could take 40% of the state's electricity demand by 2035. Ranhill SAJ's 47 water treatment plants have a combined capacity of about 2,352 million litres a day. Johor now approves new data centres only where power and water are sufficient and prefers reclaimed water for cooling. In practice: confirm power and water capacity for the specific plot early, especially for power- or water-heavy processes.
Matching your operation to a gateway
| If your operation is mainly… | Look first at |
|---|---|
| Container import and export, regional distribution | Gelang Patah and Tanjung Pelepas, Iskandar Puteri, or Senai via the Second Link Expressway |
| Chemicals, oils, bulk or heavy industry | Pasir Gudang and Tanjung Langsat; Pengerang for petrochemicals |
| High-value, time-sensitive goods by air | Senai and Kulai, including the airport free zone |
| Daily trucking to and from Singapore | Iskandar Puteri and Gelang Patah for Tuas; JB city and the east for Woodlands |
| Large-scale manufacturing serving Malaysia too | Kulai and Sedenak along the North–South Expressway |
This is a starting point only. Travel times, labour catchment, land conditions and utilities often decide between two otherwise similar sites.
Sources
Figures are as reported on the dates shown. Wikipedia entries were used only for route and location descriptions.
- New Straits Times, "PTP closes 25th anniversary year with record 14 mil TEUs", 8 Jan 2026.
- The Star, "Ports of Johor set to reach TEU target this year", 8 Oct 2026.
- The Edge Malaysia, "PTP, a key Asian hub for Gemini network, starts conversation on PTP2", 30 Jul 2025.
- The Edge Malaysia, "Carey Island, Midport developments won't undermine PTP expansion – Loke", 6 Oct 2026.
- Hellenic Shipping News (MMC Ports release), "MMC Ports records 20 million TEUs in 2025", 8 Jan 2026.
- Johor Port Berhad, "Overview" and "JPB Free Zone", accessed 25 Oct 2026.
- Hellenic Shipping News, "Johor Port handles up to 1,800 trucks daily in 2025", c. Jan 2026.
- Bernama, "RM140 mln jetty expansion strengthens Johor Port's regional role", 29 Jul 2025.
- New Straits Times, "JCorp launches container ops at Tanjung Langsat Port", Oct 2024.
- The Edge Malaysia, "Ensure holistic development of Johor's maritime facilities", 7 Oct 2024.
- Business Today, "Dialog kicks off Phase 3 expansion of Pengerang Deepwater Terminals with BP deal", 15 Apr 2026.
- MIDA, "Malakoff eyes new gas, solar plants in Tanjung Bin", 26 Mar 2024.
- MMC The Hub, "Senai Airport Terminal Services: 2025 performance", 6 Mar 2026.
- New Straits Times, "Senai Airport growth fuelled by Johor's economy, tourism", 4 Sep 2024.
- Senai International Airport, "Cargo Services", accessed 25 Oct 2026.
- MMC The Hub, "Senai Airport City free zone expansion", 17 Apr 2025.
- Bernama, "Harmonised standards, 'single window' clearance key to seamless cross-border trade for JS-SEZ", 4 Sep 2026.
- MIDA, "Iskandar Malaysia: the cornerstone of the JS-SEZ", 5 Mar 2025.
- Construction Review Online, "Johor North-South Expressway expansion project", 1 Nov 2024.
- WCT Holdings, "WCT to build extra lanes at PLUS highway in Johor for RM365.2mil", 4 Jul 2025.
- Bernama, "Pasir Gudang Highway upgrade project reaches 83 per cent progress", 14 May 2026.
- Wikipedia: North–South Expressway Southern Route, Second Link Expressway, Senai–Desaru Expressway, Eastern Dispersal Link, Iskandar Coastal Highway, Malaysia–Singapore Second Link, Port of Tanjung Pelepas; accessed 25 Oct 2026.
- LTA Singapore, "Johor Bahru–Singapore RTS Link", page updated 5 May 2025.
- Bernama, "RTS Link passenger service expected to begin in February 2027", 2 Oct 2026.
- Malay Mail, "Johor Regent launches Gemas-JB electrified double tracking line", 11 Dec 2025.
- RailTravel Station, "ETS3 Johor Bahru Sentral to KL Sentral launching on 12 December 2025", Nov 2025.
- Malay Mail, "Malaysia tests passport-free border crossing at Johor-Singapore checkpoints from Sept 22", 18 Sep 2025.
- Malay Mail, "MyNIISe app hits 2.4 million downloads, 19.48 million QR scans", 2 Jul 2026.
- Singapore EDB, "Agreement between Singapore and Malaysia on the JS-SEZ", 8 Jan 2025.
- Bernama, "Woodlands Checkpoint upgrade to maximise JS-SEZ potential", 18 Aug 2025.
- The Edge Malaysia, "Johor's data centres could consume 40% electricity demand by 2035, says WoodMac", 18 Jun 2026.
- Bernama, "Allaying Johor data centre water fears", 4 Aug 2026.
- The Star, "Johor data centres turn to recycled water", 23 Jul 2026.
Not sure which gateway your site should sit near?
Share your freight pattern and requirements, and I will shortlist areas and sites that fit, with the trade-offs set out.
This guide summarises publicly reported information as at 25 October 2026 for general discussion only. Capacities, volumes, timelines and project details are as reported by operators, government bodies and the press, may change, and have not been independently verified. Drive times and site suitability vary; confirm them for your own operation. It is not investment, legal, logistics or valuation advice. Ronald Mak | Johor Realtor (REN 80365), PropNex Realty Sdn. Bhd. (1264951-W), E (1) 1800/2.