PPA promoting new Phl- Indonesia route

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) will promote the new shipping route being developed between the Philippines and Indonesia to encourage the establishment of shipping links among ASEAN countries.

PPA general manager Jay Daniel Santiago said the state-run agency expects to host the 9th Philippine Ports and Shipping Conference on Feb. 22 to 24 as a good opportunity to present updates in the development of the new shipping route.

“This is a great opportunity for the Philippines, through the PPA, to showcase the developments like the Ro-Ro (Roll on-Roll off) link between the Philippines and Indonesia that is set to start late April this year,” he said.

“All the players within BIMP-EAGA (Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines-East ASEAN Growth Area) and ASEAN are closely looking at the development of the Ro-Ro route which will serve as the springboard for future links between and among the member nations,” he added.

The Philippines and Indonesia are currently finalizing the details of the Ro-Ro route targeted to be launched on April 28. 

The new shipping route, which will start in Davao City or General Santos in the Philippines and sail to Bitung in Indonesia, is aimed at promoting stronger trade ties between the two neighboring countries. 

Through the new route, the time to ship goods to and from the two countries would be reduced to three days from the current five weeks.

Apart from working with Indonesia on the development of the new route, the Philippines is currently modernizing its Ro-Ro vessels and ports to prepare for the demand in the ASEAN in the future.

As the PPA is in the process of modernizing Ro-Ro operations, it is also encouraging other member ports of the Asean Ports Association to align their policies and port infrastructure improvements to take advantage of China’s Maritime Silk Road, a sea route covering South China Sea and Southeast Asia, through the Indian Ocean and Middle East area into the eastern Mediterranean. 

The upcoming event is the biggest biennial ports, shipping and transport logistics business-to-business exhibition and conference in the BIMP-EAGA.

It is expected to be attended by more than a hundred decision makers, shipping lines, cargo handlers, port operators and other logistics stakeholders.