CORON, Palawan—The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) is spending P158 million to reclaim a portion of land in the port area to further expand the operations of the terminal here.
Port Management Office-Coron Port Manager Elvis Medalla said the government is reclaiming about 4,500 square meters (sq m) of land to serve as a backup area in the port.
“Right now, we are in the stage of reclamation. Then, we’ll be piling rocks. It’s an ongoing expansion of 4,500 sq m for the backup area,” he said in a media briefing here.
Included in the project is the extension of the berthing area to about 350 meters, as demand for ship calls in Coron continues to increase annually.
“We have another 51 meters of extension of the wharf. Currently, we have a wharf with a length of 298 meters, so when it’s done, it’ll be more or less 350 meters long,” Medalla added.
Demand for shipping and travel via sea in Coron has risen by about 30 percent in 2017. It is expected to continue with this growth trajectory for 2018, given the connectivity provided by fast-craft providers and cruise operators.
“Growth started last year, when two fast crafts started operating in the port. We have seen an average of 30-percent increase in terms of passengers and cargo ever since,” Medalla said.
About five vessels dock in the port per day, translating 1,825 calls per year. In terms of passenger volume, the port handled about 250,000 passengers in 2017.
“These figures justify the ongoing projects in the port. The traffic is really surging, especially since Boracay was ordered to be shut down for six months. This is exactly why we need the expansion of the wharf by 51 meters. But this will only be enough to handle the projected surge in the next five years,” Medalla noted.
The projects are expected to be completed by February, but Medalla hopes to complete the project earlier, as more cruise ships have signified interest in docking into the port some time this year.