The Philippine Star

ICTSI inks Africa concession contract

- By RICHMOND MERCURIO

Internatio­nal Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) will proceed to develop and operate a multi-purpose terminal in Africa to add to its extensive portfolio globally.

In a stock exchange filing, the listed company of billionair­e Enrique Razon said a concession contract has been signed by its subsidiary Kribi Multipurpo­se Terminal (KMT) and Port Autonome de Kribi.

ICTSI in June last year was declared as the preferred bidder for the concession of the multi-purpose terminal of the Port of Kribi, Cameroon.

Under the concession contract, KMT will develop, operate and maintain the multipurpo­se facility at Kribi, a newly built deep-water port located 150 kilometers South of Douala.

ICTSI said phase one consists of 265 meters of berth and a 10-hectare yard.

Phase two, meanwhile, consists of an additional 350 meters of berth and 23-hectare yard.

Kribi port is surrounded by the Kribi Industrial Area, a 262 square-kilometer zone destined to accommodat­e new industrial and logistical developmen­ts supporting the growing Cameroon economy and the Cameroon-Chad (Central African Republic transit) Corridor.

ICTSI earlier said the concession contract has a duration of 25 years, or until 2045.

ICTSI is a publicly listed company in the Philippine­s, which has port operations all over the world. It has at least 16 ports in the Asia and the Pacific, including ports in the Philippine­s, two in Africa, seven in the Americas, and four in Europe and the Middle East.

The company has an unsolicite­d proposal to upgrade Iloilo Port to world-class levels through an P8.7-billion investment.

ICTSI reported a net income attributab­le to equity holders of $59.6 million in the first quarter, 18 percent lower than the $72.4 million in the same period last year.

The drop was attributed to lower operating income, increase in interest on concession rights payable, and COVID-19 related expenses.

Revenue from port operations declined by two percent to $375.8 million from $383.8 million in the same period last year as trade activities declined due to the impact of COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown restrictio­ns.

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