ASIAN TERMINALS, INC. (ATI) stressed the Eva Macapagal Super Terminal (EMST) is an open facility and not exclusive for use of the Aboitiz Transport Group (ATG).
ATI maintains and operates South Harbor where the domestic berth is located. “It’s an open facility, but we get so much Aboitiz traffic there’s limited berth availability,” ATI president and chief executive officer Jeremy J.L. Rickord pointed out.
About 23% of the entire operations of ATI come from domestic shipments at the terminal. Rickord said ATG was the first customer to come in and made the commitment. For this reason, it was given berth space priority. “Same as in a container terminal.
If you come along with a ship and say ‘I want to come here every Tuesday’, then we will write a contract that commits service every Tuesday,” he noted. Majority of ATG vessels, including Superferries 12, 15, 18 and 19, call at the EMST, which only started full commercial operations upon removal of the Manila Hotel-owned M/S Philippines from one of its berths late last year.
Rickord said M/S Philippines has kept domestic volumes down because ATG does not have full access to the facility. But since the removal of M/S Philippines, EMST has been performing to expectations, he noted.
