MANILA, Philippines — International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) continues with the upgrade of its flagship Manila International Container Terminal (MICT) through investment in new equipment that would bring increased yard productivity.
ICTSI said the MICT, the Philippines’ leading international gateway, is further enhancing its fleet of container-handling equipment with four new hybrid rubber-tired gantries (RTGs) from Japan.
The new RTGs, manufactured by Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Co. Ltd., are part of the total 16-unit fleet that runs on a smaller diesel engine and are expected to reduce terminal emissions by up to 40 percent.
“The new RTGs will be deployed immediately to further increase the MICT’s yard productivity,” ICTSI said.
ICTSI said eight more hybrid RTGs, along with another pair of super post-Panamax quay cranes, are expected to be delivered before the end of the third quarter.
Once everything is delivered, the MICT fleet will be composed of 18 quay cranes and 58 RTGs – the largest containerized cargo handling fleet in the country.
The ports giant owned by tycoon Enrique Razon has invested more than $80 million for capital equipment in MICT, enabling the country’s largest and most technologically advanced container terminal to meet rising levels of demand in the era of neo-Panamax vessels.
ICTSI global corporate head Christian Gonzalez earlier said the company strives to always be at the forefront of innovation with ports equipment and adaptive technology that ensures increasing productivity, while reducing carbon footprint.
The MICT, the flagship operation of Razon’s listed firm, is certified with ISO 14001:2008 and has systems to strictly monitor and manage its stack emissions, water usage and effluent, and waste generation.
ICTSI won the concession to operate the MICT in an international tender in 1988.
Since its takeover, MICT has increased its annual capacity five-fold, expanded its container handling fleet to make it the largest and most modern container terminal in the Philippines, and switched from a manual control system to an integrated real-time IT terminal control system.
ICTSI has port operations all over the world. It has at least 16 ports in the Asia and the Pacific including ports in the Philippines, two in Africa, seven in the Americas, and four in Europe and the Middle East.