ATI to bid for Batangas int’l port

Port operator Asian Terminals Inc. will bid for the management and operation of the international container terminal being put up by the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) within the Port of Batangas.

ATI, through subsidiary ATI Batangas Inc. is currently operating the first phase of the ambitious Batangas Port Development Project. The first phase involved the establishment of berthing facilities, an anchorage, a passenger terminal, storage and other facilities.

ATI Batangas terminal manager Rafael J. Cosme confirmed their interest in the project. "If the PPA says they will bid it out then we will participate in it. Our experience in handling the operations of phase one is already an advantage on our part."

The PPA, however, has yet to come up with the terms of reference for the second phase of the four-phased project. The second phase, to be funded by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, involves the construction of an international container terminal and civil and marine works, and the installation of passenger boarding bridges and construction of port access road and fly-over.

Cosme said the second phase of the BPDP is expected to be completed by August next year. He added a port operator should be ready to manage the container terminal within 18 months after the facility’s completion.

With the completion of the first phase, Port of Batangas now has two cargo berths – the foreign berth with a length of 185 meters and width of 10.5 meters and the multi-purpose berth with a length of 230 meters and a draft of 12 meters.

The Port of Batangas was developed to respond to the demands arising from regional development in the Calabarzon region. Phase 1 in particular was planned to increase port capacity and to complement the Port of Manila, whose capacity is nearing saturation. With Phase One now complete, the Batangas Port is now a gateway of international trade as new industries located in surrounding industrial parks and power stations have increased the demand for more sophisticated services, particularly for container, heavy lift cargo and supply base operations.

ATI Batangas took over the operations of Phase One of the BPDP in 1997 and has recently been granted a two-year extension to manage and operate the port, renewable for 10 years upon satisfactory performance.

The BPDP is aimed at transforming the Batangas Port into a modern international container terminal.

ATI operates three other international seaports in the country: the Mariveles Grain Terminal in Bataan, the South Harbor at the Port of Manila, and the Makar Wharf in South Cotabato.

The South Harbor is one of the country’s largest international ports at 85 hectares of land and 600 hectares of total anchorage area.

ATI is managed by P&O Ports, a leading global port operator with 24 container terminals and logistics operations in 84 ports in 17 countries. The company dominates the Philippine market for general cargo handling.