ATI chairman Capt. Roger Davies said the new facility to be put up at Pier 15 of the South Harbor has been designed to service passengers of domestic shipping lines, with amenities comparable with those of modern airports.
In addition, the pier will be able to accommodate larger ships, hence opening up more opportunities for more efficient shipping operations and lower freight costs, he said.
The construction of the new facility is targeted for completion in six months, making it fully operational in time for the Christmas holidays.
Together with the Philippine Ports Authority, ATI will concentrate on the construction of the new terminal in line with the total P670-million project cost for the modernization program, including other support facilities and equipment.
The Pier 15 upgrade is a vital component in the government’s 10-year South Harbor master development plan, which calls for the upgrading of piers, tripling of container yard space, and acquisition of new equipment and technology.
For its part, ATI has set a 25-year program to modernize and expand the South Harbor, leading off with the deployment and commissioning last year of modern cranes worth a total of $6.3 million. In April 2001, ATI embarked on a two-year, P566-million expansion of the main container yard intended to increase the container terminal’s annual capacity which already reached an all-time high last year.
Aside from the South Harbor, ATI operates three other international seaports in the Philippines: the Port of Batangas, the Mariveles Grain Terminal in Bataan, and the Port of General Santos in Mindanao.
The company also operates logistics services for the Malampaya offshore supply base of Shell Philippines Exploration as well as three large logistics centers in Calamba, Laguna.
ATI is part of P&O Ports, a renowned operator of more than 50 port facilities around the world and is affiliated with the P&O Group, a global leader in maritime logistics services for more than 160 years.
In 2001, ATI managed to increase its revenues by eight percent to P3.1 billion, and its net income to P510 million, despite a generally sluggish business environment particularly during the early part of the year.