SBMA mulls partnership with Japan port

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — Officials of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) are now establishing ties with the Port of Kitakyushu in Japan to promote cooperation between Subic and Japan’s largest international trading port.

SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza said 31 top executives from Kitakyushu visited the Freeport the other day to see the ongoing development of Subic’s seaport facilities and learn about the local business climate.

"We foresee a more dynamic business growth this year after we establish a good relationship with Japanese port officials," Arreza told The STAR.

"With the help of the experts like people from Port of Kitakyushu, we could maximize the potentials of our port facilities to attract more ships to come to Subic Bay. This will also result in more investments that would consequently create more jobs," he added.

According to Arreza, the Port of Kitakyushu has sisterhood port relations with Tacoma in the United States, and Laem Chabang in Thailand, and a friendship port relations with Dalian, China.

The sisterhood and friendship pacts facilitate annual international exchange that actively promote mutual development.

"A similar arrangement for Subic will also boost our opportunity to promote partnership and cooperation with other international seaport and airport counterparts in the neighboring countries like Japan," Arreza said.

Arreza and other SBMA officials welcomed the 31-member delegation of the Kitakyushu Promotion Association which toured Subic the other day. The association is an affiliate of the Kitakyushu Seaport and Airport Bureau (KSAB), the port authority of Port of Kitakyushu in Japan.

During the visit, the Japanese executives said they were impressed with efforts of the SBMA to further develop Subic’s investment and trading potentials.

"We are very pleased to note the swift improvement of the Subic Bay Port Project," Norihiko Yamagata, KSAB chief executive and director told The STAR in an interview, after a brief tour at the project site.