International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) said on Monday it has broken ground for the construction of the eighth berth of its flagship port, Manila International Container Terminal (MICT).
The Enrique K. Razon-led company said Berth 8—which will cost some P15 billion—is “beyond the contractual commitments” of the company to the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA).
Berth 8, which will be built in various phases, is said to “add to the MICT’s capability to service foreign ultra-container vessels” of up to 18,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs).
The new berth will create another 400 meters of quay along with 12 hectares of yard space that will bring an additional annual capacity of 200,000 TEUs.
When completed, the MICT will have an annual capacity of 3.5 million TEUs, making the MICT the Philippines’s largest international gateway. The full build will give the MICT a total berth length of 2,300 meters, a 21-percent increase in berthing capacity.
“We are excited to announce the development of Berth 8, which enables us to be in the same league as the world’s top terminals. More importantly, this will bring significant economic benefits to the Philippines as we have the added capacity to handle growing trade volumes,” ICTSI EVP Christian R. Gonzalez said.
MICT is currently capable of handling neo-Panamax ships through berths 6 and 7, which are operated by 5 quay cranes (QC).
A sixth crane is scheduled to arrive in July and will be operational within the year. Berth 8 will operate with a minimum of four QCs—two of which will be delivered in 2025.
Since taking over the MICT in 1988, ICTSI has invested P40 billion in MICT, remitted in excess of P96 billion to the government through the PPA, and P3 billion in taxes to the local government of Manila.
Gonzales noted that aside from the construction of Berth 8, ICTSI has commenced the modernization of Berths 1 to 5 and their backup and yard areas. The project includes the installation of additional reefer racks to accommodate approximately 300 TEUs of reefer cargo.
Image credits: Contributed photo
