MICT adopts system to address port woes

MANILA International Container Terminal (MICT) in the Port of Manila has started implementing a vehicle appointment system, which it branded as a “proactive alternative to counterproductive” truck bans.

MICT, a unit of Enrique Razon Jr.’s International Container Terminal Services Inc., calls the system the Terminal Appointment Booking System, or Tabs, and last week marked its “soft” launch.

It is an electronic platform for booking containers in the two international ports of Manila and is meant to optimize the entry and exit of containerized cargo to and from MICT.

“Tabs was developed in response to restrictive road policies that were introduced to combat the congestion of Manila ports in 2014 as a result of the truck ban imposed by the Manila City Government,” ICTSI said in a statement.

The company said the system will also address the unpredictable surge of trucks that ply the roads by scheduling the time slots for container pickup and drop-offs.

Truckers can increase their trips, cargo owners can move their goods more promptly and terminals can allocate resources more efficiently given the predictable volume and schedule, it said.

“The implementation of Tabs is a move in the right direction. It is the port sector’s contribution to easing road congestion in the Philippine capital by implementing a system that will schedule movements of trucks in and out of the Port,” Mohamed Ghandar, MICT general manager, said in a statement.

“With a booming economy and the ongoing major infrastructure projects in the metropolis comes the issue of road capacity. Movement of trade in the Port of Manila, specifically that of container-handling trucks, has to coexist with the movement of the commuting public,” he added.

With the system in place, the Manila port community should expect more organized truck movement and experience a managed and consistent flow of trucks spread across the entire day.