ICTSI eager to proceed with Iloilo port proposal

Razon led port operator International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) is raring to proceed with its P8.7 billion unsolicited proposal to upgrade the Port of Iloilo as it hopes to get the approval of the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA).

“We’re just waiting for PPA to confirm that the submission is complete. It’s taken them a while,” ICTSI global corporate head Christian Gonzalez said.

PPA general manager Jay Santiago, in an interview last month, said ICTSI’s Iloilo port proposal remained under evaluation.

He said certain clarifications on the documentation of the offer were still being sought which is why it has yet to be issued the certificate of completeness.

Upon the issuance of a letter of acceptance for completeness, the PPA and the private proponent would negotiate on the scope and details of the project.

Successful negotiation in accordance with the revised guidelines and procedures for entering into joint venture agreements between government and private entities would then result in the grant of the original proponent status (OPS).

“So we hope that that decision on being an original proponent comes sooner rather than later,” Gonzales said.

ICTSI plans to bring to the Iloilo port its know-how in managing ports given its three decades of experience across the ports it operates worldwide.

Gonzalez said the project would be undertaken in multiple phases.

Earlier, he said the objective of the company in its unsolicited proposal is to bring the Port of Iloilo to world class levels by “maximizing big ship capability, installing ship-to-shore gantry cranes, and continuously upgrading yard capacity aligned to traffic studies.”

ICTSI also intends to build a terminal for cruise ship passengers to meet the objectives of the country’s National Tourism Development Plan.

With the company’s development plans, Gonzalez said Iloilo could be the major regional transhipment hub for the Visayas.

ICTSI is a publicly listed company in the Philippines which has port operations all over the world. It currently develops, manages and operates container terminals in 19 countries across six continents.