CAGAYAN DE ORO — Phividec Industrial Estate in Misamis Oriental should maximize use of the $85-million Mindanao Container Terminal (MCT), which handled shipment volume equivalent to only about 67% of capacity last year, an official said in a recent forum of Northern Mindanao’s development planners.
Modesto C. Babaylan, co-chairman of the regional development council’s infrastructure committee, said in a Regional Development Forum facilitated by the office in Region 10 of the National Economic and Development Authority that MCT still has 33% of its 270,000 20-foot equivalent unit (TEU) capacity left unutilized.
This, even as container volume handled by the facility jumped by about 52% to 180,308 TEUs since International Container Terminal Services, Inc. won the auction to take over operations in 2008.
Dante F. Clarito, manager of the Port Management Department of Phividec Industrial Estate-Management Office, said he expects MCT use to increase with three new industrial locators recently approved by the board. “The economy in Mindanao has been recovering faster than expected from the global economic crisis,” Mr. Clarito said, adding that expanded activity will use up more port capacity this year.
Mr. Clarito noted that Mindanao’s canned products, wood, minerals and banana exporters are major users of MCT.
One new locator, the new Coca-Cola plant inaugurated just last June 7, is expected to use the facility to ship some of its 400,000-case annual output to the Visayas.
“MCT expects our direct callers to deploy larger vessels or increase their frequency this year, giving Philippine-based importers and exporters more cargo space,” Mr. Clarito added.
Eight shipping lines now use MCT regularly, namely: international carriers American President Lines Ltd. (APL), Maersk Line, Mariana Express Lines, Advance Container Line (Pte) Ltd. and Regional Container Lines, as well as locally based NMC Container Lines, Inc.; Lorenzo Shipping Corp. and MCC Transport Philippines.
Del Monte, Pilipinas Kao and Nestlé last year accounted for bulk of the volume handled by MCT, though medium-sized firms also used the facility.
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By: M. D. Baños
Source: Business World, Aug. 30, 2011
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