Batangas Container Terminal (BCT) ended 2016 with volume soaring to nearly 160,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), its highest since starting commercial operations in 2010.
The performance surpassed the previous record of over 130,000 TEUs in 2015 for a year-on-year growth of over 18%, port operator Asian Terminals Inc. (ATI) said in a statement.
As more importers and exporters opted to route commodities via Batangas instead of Manila, ATI said, the number of truck trips plying Metro Manila’s roads last year was cut by more than 80,000.
BCT, located near Calabarzon’s major industrial hubs, serves a growing list of multinational customers, including Japanese electronics giants, food and beverage conglomerates, agriculture exporters, car manufacturers, and other major businesses in the region.
Despite the double-digit volume surge, ATI said BCT operated at world-class efficiency pace in 2016 with full-year production averaging 29 gross moves per crane per hour (GMPH). During the fourth quarter’s peak season, BCT attained a rate of 31 GMPH, equalling the production of global trade hubs in Singapore and Hong Kong.
GMPH is a measure of how many boxes cranes are moved from ship to shore in an hour. Efficient handling of vessels at berth results in faster ship turnaround and quicker delivery of cargoes to consignees.
Yard utilization averaged 37%, indicating BCT’s capacity to handle more vessels and shipments.
Six vessels operated by major shipping lines currently call BCT weekly, providing Calabarzon customers direct and faster access to Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, and other global trade hubs.
The port operator said BCT also features fast Customs processes which follow global quality standards. Bureau of Customs Batangas is the sole unit of the customs agency to have an ISO 9001:2008 certification for quality management.
“All these enable customers to pick up boxes at the terminal within 30 minutes of truck entry,” ATI noted.
To meet customer demand and help government further decentralize Metro Manila, ATI has rolled out an aggressive investment program to double BCT’s capacity to over 600,000 TEUs.
By 2018, BCT will be bannered by an extended quay measuring 600 meters, and will have an equipment fleet of four quay cranes and eight rubber-tired gantry cranes, double its current fleet of two and four, respectively.
