Apr 212014
 

MANILA, Philippines – An expert commissioned by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) said the operating ratio of the Batangas Container Terminal being considered as alternative to the Port of Manila amid the truck ban imposed by the city government of Manila remained low.

In a report, Ryujiro Sasao, external evaluator of IC Net Ltd., said the volume of container cargo to be handled by Batangas Port has fell short of the target volume since the completion of the project in March of 2010.

“The operating ratio of the container terminal constructed by this project remains low, falling short of the target volume of container cargo to be handled. For this reason, the project has shown only an extremely limited effect on local employment and the economic growth of local businesses, thus its effectiveness and impact is low,” he said.

He also pointed out that the number of container ships servicing the Batangas Port is only one ship a week.

“Currently, the number of container ships scheduled for service at Batangas Port sits at only one ship per week,” he added.

The review puts into question the supposed capability of the Batangas Port to provide an alternative to the busy port of Manila.

Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1

According to the assessment the start of full-scale operations at Batangas Port was significantly delayed beyond the original plan of March 2002 to December 2007 due to prolonged land acquisition and resettlement.

“Although the project cost was within the plan, the project period significantly exceeded the plan therefore efficiency of the project is fair,” he said.

Sasao said the total amount of container cargo handled on Luzon plateaued as the shift in the handling of container cargo from the Port of Manila to Batangas Port has not occurred resulting in the low level of achievement of project goals in the Batangas Container Terminal.                    

Aug 182013
 
ATI to expand Manila, Batangas ports

MANILA, Philippines – Listed Asian Terminals Inc. (ATI) is jointly expanding the ports of Manila and Batangas backed by its P4.2-billion capital investments over the next three years to boost the competitiveness of Philippine industries. ATI vice president Sean Perez said the company is supporting the government’s bid to boost the competitiveness of industries by sustaining efficient gateway ports especially at this time of rapid economic growth. “Manila is the center of the country’s consumer-driven economy and where majority of economic activities transpire. This is what the ports of Manila serve,” he said. Aligned with this, Perez said that ATI is taking a balanced approach in its port development initiatives to ensure that Manila and its surrounding environs are adequately served by Manila South Harbor while at the same time opening up a viable option for industries based in southern Luzon via its modern Batangas Port. Perez said that developments at Manila South Harbor are on schedule and are primarily anchored on expanding pier- and land-side infrastructure, improving current facilities and acquiring new equipment to sustain the port’s reliability, efficiency and high productivity. Backed by P4.2 billion in capital investments over the next three years, ATI expects to meet its expansion targets for Manila’s gateway port as part of its contractual commitments with the state-run Philippine Ports Authority (PPA). Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 He added that Batangas Port container terminal would continue complementing Manila ports with a capacity of 300,000 twenty foot equivalent units (TEUs) Read More …