ATI barge terminals to rise in Mactan, Cavite ecozones

MANILA, Philippines — Listed port operator Asian Terminals Inc. (ATI) will develop barge terminals in Cebu and Cavite as part of its efforts to expand services beyond the international gateway ports in Manila and Batangas.

Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) director general Charito Plaza, in a chance interview, told The STAR that ATI is “going to register as a logistics hub provider because they will develop Mactan Ecozone and Cavite Ecozone barge terminal.”

“Now they will put up barge terminals in our ecozone in Mactan and Cavite,” Plaza said.

The country’s first barge terminal, the Cavite Gateway Terminal in Tanza of  International Container Terminal Services Inc., was inaugurated in November last year.

The terminal, which has a capacity of 115,000 twenty-foot equivalent units, allows trans-shipment of cargo from international ports in Manila to Cavite via barges and roll-on roll-off operations, thus decongesting traffic in major roads.

ATI earlier said it is keen to expand its services beyond the existing international gateway ports to further enhance logistics cycles for manufacturers, shippers and transporters in support of the country’s growing economy.

Among the projects being considered are off-dock container yards, empty container depots, and other ancillary facilities.

“As a trade enabler, we are eyeing to develop more facilities that will leverage on our existing gateway ports in Manila and Batangas to better serve our valued customers,” ATI executive vice president William Khoury earlier said.

“These projects will establish greater operational synergies to help the industry cope with current logistics challenges and also create growth opportunities in the long-term,” he said.

ATI has earmarked capital investment of P14.7 billion from 2019 to 2020 to develop more berths and storage spaces in Manila and Batangas ports, additional container yards outside the port zones, acquire more cargo handling equipment, and invest in innovations which would redound to greater efficiencies and safer port environment for stakeholders.

In the first quarter, ATI said Manila South Harbor and Batangas Container Terminal handled a consolidated international container volume of over 390,000 twenty-foot equivalent units, a 25 percent increase compared to the same period last year.

The higher volumes were attributed to port efficiency measures it implemented in partnership with stakeholders, the aggressive expansion of Batangas Port, and the opening of more container storage spaces within and outside the port zones.

ATI also saw its net income soar to P1.1 billion in the first quarter, nearly double the P581.9 million it recorded in the same period last year, on the back of higher revenues and improved margins from its ports business, as well as favorable forex rate and higher interest income.