Asian Terminals allots P4.6B this year for Manila, Batangas ports upgrades

Following a record year, Asian Terminals Inc. (ATI) is spending more to expand and improve its Manila and Batangas port projects.

ATI, led by STI College chain of schools owner Eusebio Tanco, said it would spend at least P4.6 billion in capital expenses this year.

ATI noted “special focus” would be placed on its Batangas Container Terminal (BCT) project, a gateway to the Calabarzon area south of Metro Manila.

Specifically, ATI is eyeing the extension of the Batangas Terminal’s crane rails and container yard.

The plans are in line with ATI’s plan of doubling BCT’s capacity to over 600,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units).

“BCT has emerged as the preferred international gateway for Calabarzon, with its proximity to major economic locators, direct connectivity to foreign markets and world-class efficiency, marked by fast cargo delivery to consignees. Truck turnaround time at BCT averages 30 minutes upon gate entry,” ATI said.

In 2016, BCT handled over 160,000 TEUs of foreign boxes, its highest container volume in a single year.

ATI said this translated to a reduction of more than 80,000 trips along Metro Manila’s roads, since shippers had the option of docking in Batangas instead of Manila.

The firm also said the development of its Batangas multilevel car storage facility was on schedule. Phase 1 of this project would come online by November while the second phase would be finished by mid-2018.

This is seen to increase the capacity of the country’s top car carrier port to over 7,000 completely-built car units at any single time. Last year, BCT handled over 200,000 built-up car units, its highest annual car throughout and represented the majority of 2016’s car sales nationwide.

In Manila’s South Harbor, ATI would take delivery of two brand-new quay cranes and other cargo handling equipment this year. South Harbor handled over 1 million TEUs last year, a record, while operating at 65 percent yard capacity and 60 percent berth utilization.

The figures signaled the port can handle more cargoes, ATI said.

ATI said production was also at an all-time high, with some months in excess of 30 gmph (gross moves per crane per hour). GMPH is a measure of how many boxes cranes move from ship to shore in an hour.