MANILA, Philippines - Tokyo-based Nippon Yushen Kaisha (NYK) Line is set to further expand its operations at the Batangas Port this week as part of efforts to further decongest the Port of Manila.
NYK Line announced that it plans to provide further options to shippers through the Batangas Port starting Aug. 1 by combining its direct call and strategic alliances with key feeder operators in ex-Singapore to Batangas.
The shipping line made a direct call in Batangas Port last July 8 by sending its max-sized vessel, ACX Diamond voy-144S, carrying a total of 534 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs).
NYK Line’s 2,900-TEU capacity vessel was used in Batangas to offer its customers another alternative in shipping their goods via Batangas instead of Manila.
The southbound rotation of the Meteor service has been adjusted to Osaka-Yokkaichi- Nagoya-Shimizu-Tokyo-Yokohama-Kobe-Kaohsiung-Batangas-Ho Chi Minh-Singapore.
For the Manila bound shipments, containers were transshipped at the NYK terminal in Kaohsiung and immediately connected to their ex-Kaohsiung to Manila leg of NYK’s ITX service.
This is the only service in the Philippines to offer direct connections from Japan and going to the Southeast Asian countries of Singapore and Vietnam to and from Batangas.
It primarily caters to Japan, Asia, North America imports and exports to Asia, Europe, Australia, Middle East, and North America which directly benefits importers and exporters by avoiding a Manila port call.
Likewise, the NYK Line ACX Pearl arrived in Batangas last July 22 further adding container options during Tuesdays to its Pure Car Carrier/Roro vessel weekly Friday calls.
Philippine Ports Authority general manager Juan Sta. Ana announced early this month that economic managers have approved a discount in the port and docking fees at the Batangas Port to attract more foreign and local shipping firms.
Sta. Ana explained that shipping lines calling at the Batangas Port would be given a 90 percent discount in port and docking or berthing charges for a period of six months.
After six months, he said, the discount on port as well as docking or berthing charges would be reduced to 50 percent effective for another six months.
“It’s a two-tiered discount aimed at attracting more vessels to call at Batangas City. It was approved by the Cabinet cluster and we are just waiting for the written guidelines by the Office of the President,” Sta. Ana said.
Data show that the Batangas Port only handles 12,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) as compared to its actual capacity of 450,000 TEUs.
Meanwhile, Sta. Ana said the operations at the Ports of Manila would normalize over the next four weeks as he urged shippers and consignees to clear and withdraw overstaying containers.
The day-time truck ban imposed by the City government of Manila in February resulted to a three-month backlog at the Manila International Container Terminal operated by port giant International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) and South Harbor run by ATI.