THE Philippine Liner Shipping Association (PLSA) is asking the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) to conduct a re-inventory of cargo-handling equipment at the North Harbor.
The move will determine whether the port’s new operator, Manila North Harbour Port, Inc (MNHPI), has fully complied with the minimum cargo-handling requirement under the facility’s 25-year operation and management contract.
MNHPI took over North Harbor operations on April 12, 2010. Since then there have been numerous complaints about a lack of cargo-handling equipment.
“It has been almost eight weeks from the time that MNHPI took over operations at the Manila North Harbor,” PLSA executive director Josefina Maitim said in a letter addressed to PPA general manager Atty. Oscar Sevilla. “Until now the shipping companies still need to see some relief in terms of improved service through the deployment of more and better cargo-handling equipment.”
She suggested a re-inventory of MNHPI equipment as soon as possible together with representatives from the PPA, PLSA and an independent shippers’ association such as the Supply Chain Management Association of the Philippines or the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
At the moment, the amount of cargo-handling equipment at the port has stayed almost the same as when MNHPI took over the port.
Additional equipment is expected to arrive only in four months.
Under the North Harbor contract, MNHPI is required to provide cargo-handling equipment but since this is now lacking, PLSA members have been authorized to use their own. The situation has led to shipping lines incurring higher overheads.
