International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) is set to order the most modern equipment that will have the largest vessel handling capability in the Philippines, existing or planned, and at par with those used in major developed markets around the world, the company said in its press release.
The massive order for the Manila International Container Terminal (MICT) includes five post-Panamax quay cranes capable of servicing up to 13,000-TEU boxships, the largest in the intra-Asia trade. Also on order are 20 rubber tired gantry cranes.
The purchase, along with the construction of another berth, is part of ICTSI’s USD80 million capital equipment program for the MICT.
With a maximum reach of 20 containers across and twin lift rated load capability, the post-Panamax quay cranes are capable of servicing single-ocean box ships, too large to pass through the Panama Canal. The capital equipment program would enable the MICT to service new generation vessels with capacities of up to 13,000 TEUs, setting a new standard for container terminal operation in the country.
The MICT currently has six berths. Two of the new quay cranes will be deployed at Berth 5. Another pair will be deployed at Berths 6 and 7, respectively, while the last crane will be deployed at Berth 3. The first three cranes are scheduled for delivery by 2018, with the remaining two at 2019.
In 2015, ICTSI deployed new-generation reach stackers at the MICT to improve operational efficiency as volume continued to grow. Earlier in 2014, the MICT completed the construction of Yard 7, which added four hectares of yard space to the terminal or roughly 500,000 TEUs, and further extended the terminal’s berth to 1,700 meters. With the recent expansion, MICT’s annual capacity increased to 2.75 million TEUs.
ICTSI has several other projects in the pipeline for its Philippine operation that should pave the way for it to become a complete logistics provider. These include the revival of the rail link between MICT and the recently opened Laguna Gateway Inland Container Terminal in Calamba. It has also recently submitted a proposal to build a roll on-roll off barge terminal in Cavite, south of Metro Manila.
About MICT
In 1988, International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) won the 25 + 25 years concession to operate the Manila International Container Terminal (MICT) in an international tender. Since ICTSI’s 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. MICT is ICTSI’s flagship operation.
About ICTSI
Headquartered and established in 1988 in Manila, Philippines, International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) is in the business of port operations, management and development. ICTSI’s portfolio of terminals and projects spans developed and emerging market economies in the Asia Pacific, the Americas, and Europe, Middle East and Africa. ICTSI has received global acclaim for its public-private partnerships with governments divesting of their port assets to the private sector.