Construction of Talisay int’l port to start this year

CEBU CITY – Construction of a new international seaport in Talisay City is expected to start this year in Talisay City to decongest the Cebu International Port (CIP) here, as it will provide port users, shipping lines and other shippers an alternative transshipment point in Central Visayas.

This was disclosed by the Office of the Presidential Assistant in the Visayas (OPAV) in a statement provided The Manila Bulletin.

According to OPAV, Cebu South Harbor and Container Terminal Corp. (CSHCTC), a Filipino-owned corporation, which is duly registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), is set to build the international port to cater to containers and bulk cargo operations.

Two of the majority holders of CSHCTC are Lucio Co, owner of a chain of supermarkets --Puregold Price Club and Johnny Ng, owner-operator of several container yard and ports in Mindanao under Kudos Trucking Corporation.

Ng and Co, in a media statement, believed that the project will be able to generate hundreds of jobs, and create thousands of small and medium economic enterprises within the area.

According to Ng, the 25-hectare private and commercial port will consist of four Ship to Shore Gantry Crane (STS Gantry), six Berthing points, two wide warehouses and container yards that will become a gateway for domestic and international shipping lines.

“It will augment the flow of imports and exports. That will stimulate the growth of industries and sustain the economy of Cebu,” Ng said.

With the expected increase in commerce, the new port will put Cebu in the arena of domestic and international ports and decongest the traffic at the CIP providing an alternative port, Ng added.

Ng said backfilling and construction is set to begin in early 2019 and target project completion is in the 2nd quarter of 2022. “This undertaking will reinforce the “Build, Build, Build” program of the administration, he stated.

According to Ng, the port will cut the waiting time of ships, as it will supplement today’s berths at the CIP. Ship agents or shipping lines will realize reduction of vessel call costs when they are served immediately.

Presidential Assistant to the Visayas Michael Lloyd Dino said the construction of the port will encourage more economic development in Cebu, as the new container zone will help also ease traffic congestion away from the city center.