By Henry Empeño / Correspondent
SUBIC BAY FREEPORT—The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has reported the continuing growth in container shipments here since the Port of Subic was named an alternative port to ease container traffic congestion in Metro Manila.
According to SBMA Chairman Roberto Garcia, the volume of container shipments in Subic doubled as of August this year, reaching more than 83,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) compared to 43,000 TEUs for the same period last year.
Garcia said the unprecedented 93-percent increase could be attributed to efforts by the SBMA and its partner-business locators to ensure ease in cargo processing at the Port of Subic, as well as other marketing initiatives, in the face of continued port congestion in Manila.
“We are the only port in Luzon that has a one-stop shop, and this gives us the competitive edge,” Garcia said in a news briefing here.
“[Port users] come to our container port, go to our one-stop shop where offices of the SBMA, Customs and the LandBank [Land Bank of the Philippines] are there all in one place, and in just a matter of 30 minutes, their papers are already processed,” Garcia pointed out.
“The one-stop shop and our marketing programs, such as the two recent maritime summits and the formation of a Maritime Technical Group, are all coming into play right now,” he added.
The SBMA official also said that at the rate the Port of Subic is performing, authorities here expect the shipping volume this year to double last year’s year-end record of 77,000 TEUs.
Garcia also concurred with Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who said in a recent forum here that Subic is the answer to the current traffic congestion in Manila.
“Senator Marcos hasn’t been here for some time but he was really impressed with Subic. We are really pushing very hard to increase the volume here to help decongest Manila,” Garcia said.
Garcia also stressed that Subic Bay is the only port in the western seaboard of the Philippines that still has enough capacity to handle additional container volume. “Unlike the Port of Batangas, which has now reached its full capacity, shippers can come to Subic anytime,” he said.
The SBMA Seaport Department said that, as of now, seven major shipping lines regularly call on the Port of Subic, unloading and loading container cargo and various kinds of bulk items.
The regular callers include Wan Hai, Maersk, APL, NYK and SITC, some of the biggest commercial shipping lines operating worldwide.
Image credits: Henry Empeño