MICT starts facilities upgrade

International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) is readying the deployment of new equipment at its flagship Manila International Container Terminal, part of an $80-million improvement program.

The company, controlled by tycoon Enrique Razon Jr., said it would start with the deployment of $22 million worth of hybrid rubber tired gantries (RTG) in MICT.

Christian R. Gonzalez, ICTSI senior vice president and head of Asia-Pacific and MICT, said the new RTGs, the first of their kind in the Philippine ports system, would boost operations and safety.

The first batch is scheduled for delivery in November next year, with the rest to be turned over by October 2019.

“The new RTGs will improve terminal efficiency and allow us to match demand in terms of operational performance. Terminal utilization currently remains exceptional, and we see no signs of congestion despite the volume influx,” Gonzalez said.

“Just as important is that we can expect a minimum 40 percent reduction in carbon emissions and up to 60 percent better fuel economy. A side benefit is that the smaller engines mean reduced noise levels at the yard,” he added.

Manufactured by Japanese shipbuilder and equipment maker Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. (MES), the Mitsui Li-ion Hybrid RTG can stack one over five containers high and six containers wide, including truck roadway. It has a rated load of 40 metric tons.

ICTSI said it would also commission five additional quay cranes by 2019, including a pair of neo-Panamax cranes.

Upon completion, MICT will become the only terminal in the Philippines capable of servicing neo-Panamax boxships with capacities of up to 13,000 TEUs, or twenty foot equivalent units.

“We are preparing for the era of super-sized ships. All the development we have in the pipeline will ensure MICT, the country’s premier container terminal, will be able to cope with the pressing demand and volume increase,” Gonzalez said.