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ICTSI and port authority eye expansion as volumes near capacity
International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) and the Phividec Industrial Authority have announced plans to expand the Mindanao Container Terminal (MCT) in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental.
Speaking to the Philippine’s Business Mirror, Phividec port department manager Dante Clarito said that expanding the terminal has become a necessity after container volumes reached near full capacity in 2012.
Clarito added that ICTSI is already conducting a study into the project, which, when completed, will help the company better understand the costs involved in expanding the current 300-hectare site.
MCT terminal manager Joma Fernandez said the priority at this stage is the expansion of the facility’s 300-metre berth, which was built to handle one international vessel, measuring up to 200 metres, and one domestic ship. However, as Fernandez explained, both domestic and international vessels are growing in size, with many cargo ships measuring in excess of 200 metres.
“During the past two years, shipping lines deployed longer vessels. The newer domestic ships are also getting longer,” said Fernandez.
MCT, boasting an annual capacity of 270,000 TEU, is regulated by the Philippine Veterans Investments Development Corp. (Phividec) and has been operated by ICTSI since 2008 when the Manila-based terminal operator agreed a 25-year concession.
The Philippine terminal currently welcomes calls from three international ocean carriers, APL (American President’s Line), Maersk and MCC Singapore, according to the Business Mirror.
