Batangas Container Terminal (BCT) in southern Luzon has reached its 200,000th twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) cargo volume mark for the first time in a single year since its start-up in 2010.
With still a month to go before 2018 ends, BCT already surpassed its full-year cargo throughput of over 197,000 TEUs in 2017, port operator Asian Terminals Inc. (ATI) said in a statement. Moreover, ATI said this meant a reduction of over 100,000 truck trips along Metro Manila roads, with more consignees routing containerized cargoes via South Luzon’s preferred international gateway port.
BCT’s 200,000th TEU cargo was delivered recently by MV Balthasar Schulte, operated by Sealand (formerly MCC Transport). Sealand, a Maersk company, operates three weekly services via BCT, which directly connects Calabarzon shippers to Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Indonesia, and other key regional and global markets.
The port operator noted that BCT’s cargoes have substantially grown over the past three years as more shippers patronize Batangas Port. BCT is strategically located near Calabarzon’s major manufacturing zones and is seamlessly connected to modern road infrastructure, thus, delivering greater advantages to the supply chain.
To prepare for future growth, BCT has been undertaking massive expansion projects that are currently nearing completion. By yearend, too, BCT will take delivery of two additional quay cranes and four more rubber-tired gantry cranes along with other operations-critical equipment in line with its investment commitment with the Philippine Ports Authority. This effectively increases BCT’s capacity to over 450,000 TEUs by 2019, in support of the growing industries in the Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) area.
