ICTSI starts P15-B berth construction at MICT

Berth 8 will be constructed in eight phases, deemed to greatly add to the MICT’s capability to service foreign ultra-container vessels of up to 18,000 TEUs, a trend that has been growing in the past years

The Razon-led International Container Terminal Services Inc. will build an 8th berth, at the Manila International Container Terminal, which will cost P15 billion, following a groundbreaking ceremony on Monday.

The groundbreaking for the new ICTSI berth, said to exceed the contractual commitments to the DoTr and its attached agency Philippine Ports Authority, was personally graced by Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista, PPA general manager Jay Daniel Santiago, ICTSI executive vice president Christian Gonzalez, DoTr undersecretary for Legal Affairs Reinier Paul Yebra, and MICT executive director Phillip Marsham.

Berth 8 will be constructed in eight phases, deemed to greatly add to the MICT’s capability to service foreign ultra-container vessels of up to 18,000 TEUs, a trend that has been growing in the past years.

Further, the ICTSI said its newest berth will create another 400 meters of quay and 12 hectares of yard space, bringing an additional annual capacity of 200,000 twenty-footer equivalent units or TEUs.

Once completed, the MICT will have an annual capacity of 3.5 million TEUs, making the MICT the Philippines’ largest international gateway.

Wider MICT space

The construction of the new berth will give the MICT a total length of 2,300 meters, a 21 percent increase in capacity.

“We are excited to announce the development of Berth 8, which enables us to be in the same league as the world’s top terminals. More importantly, this will bring significant economic benefits to the Philippines as we have the added capacity to handle growing trade volumes,” ICTSI EVP Gonzalez said.

“We thank the DoTr and the PPA for supporting our initiatives and sharing our vision for a vibrant Philippine port and logistics industry that will translate to the country’s overall prosperity,” he added.

MICT is currently capable of handling neo-Panamax ships through berths 6 and 7, which are operated by five quay cranes.

A sixth crane is scheduled to arrive in July 2023 and will be operational within the year. Berth 8 will operate with a minimum of four QCs — two of which will be delivered in 2025.

Since taking over the MICT in 1988, ICTSI has remitted in excess of P96 billion to the government through the PPA.