The Manila International Container Terminal (MICT), the Philippines’ largest container terminal, reached its first year-to-date two million TEU move last December.
The two million TEU milestone also triggers a PHP multi-billion capacity improvement commitment with the Philippine Ports Authority that requires International Container Terminal Services (ICTSI), an operator of MICT, to commission five additional Post-Panamax quay cranes along with corresponding yard equipment, and build at least another berth by 2019, ICTSI said.
The two millionth TEU container was offloaded from SITC Osaka, operated by China’s SITC Container Lines, on December 6, 2016. Back in December 2002, MICT reached its first one million TEU move.
Terminal utilization at the MICT has improved since the completion of Yard 7 late in November 2015, according to the terminal operator. Yard 7, which is part of MICT’s PHP 5 billion expansion project, increased the terminal’s capacity by 18 percent from 2.5 million to 2.75 million TEUs.
Additionally, ICTSI said the milestone was achieved with the help of the Terminal Appointment Booking System (TABS), an online container booking platform, launched in October 2015.
“The construction of Yard 7 and the implementation of TABS last year gave us the flexibility and efficiency we need to perform optimally. We have more projects in the pipeline like the revival of the rail line which will link MICT with Laguna Gateway Inland Container Terminal,” Christian R. Gonzalez, ICTSI Senior Vice President and Regional Head of Asia-Pacific and MICT, said.
Apart from establishing an intermodal link between its Manila and Laguna terminals, ICTSI also submitted a proposal to the Philippine Department of Transportation to build the Cavite Gateway Terminal (CGT), a USD 30 million barge and roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) terminal in Tanza, Cavite.