ATI books 8.6% higher cargo volume

MANILA, Philippines - Port operator Asian Terminals Inc. (ATI) booked an 8.6 percent increase in cargo volume last year after a sharp increase in the volume handled by the Batangas Container Terminal amid the heavy congestion at the Ports of Manila.

ATI said in a statement that it handled a record consolidated throughput of 1.02 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) last year.

The publicly-listed port operator traced the increase to the 762 percent jump in the volume of international cargo handled by the Batangas container terminal to 98,000 TEUs last year.

According to ATI, Batangas Container Terminal has continuously expanded its role as a comprehensive gateway for the Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon (Calabarzon) area.

The port in Batangas has provided shippers direct connectivity to Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, Indonesia and other global hubs through vessels regularly calling the port weekly.

Building on the momentum, ATI said it would further improve its services and port processes this year through continuous investment on equipment, facilities and technology aligned with its expansion plans and investment commitment with the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA).

In Manila South Harbor, the port operator said it would add five more rubber-tired gantry cranes in the second half of the year bringing the number to 23 or 50 percent higher since 2012.

Likewise, ATI would also grow its side-loader fleet by 50 percent with the deployment of six more units next month.

The port operator plans to roll out within the year its Vehicle Booking System (VBS) or an automated system allowing trucks controlled 24-hour access to the ports without causing heavy traffic on roads.

ATI successfully implemented the container traffic light system last year that equipped truckers with a real-time and online monitoring tool for the timely and organized return of empty containers at the port.

ATI spent P2.2 billion last year to undertake its most aggressive investment program in over two decades, particularly for the South Harbor in Manila and the Batangas container terminal.

The amount was used to finance the acquisition of more container-handling equipment, development of additional cargo storage and truck-holding areas, rehabilitation of piers and continuous upgrade of port systems and technologies.

Earnings of ATI jumped 60 percent to P1.39 billion in the first nine months of last year from P870.3 million in the same period in 2013, while revenues grew 23 percent to P5.95 billion from P4.84 billion.

ATI manages and operates the South Harbor as well as the Inland Clearance Depot in Manila, Port of Batangas, Batangas Container Terminal, and Batangas Supply Base.

It also owns 35.71 percent of South Cotabato Integrated Port Services Inc, the existing cargo handling operator at the Makar Wharf in the Port of General Santos, General Santos City.