Mindanao Container Terminal (MCT) is rolling out improvements and upgrades at its port terminal in Misamis Oriental until the middle of next year as part of its ongoing strategy to become a premier international gateway in Mindanao.
MCT, located at the Phividec Industrial Estate-Misamis Oriental Special Economic Zone (MOSEZ), in Tagaloan, Misamis Oriental, is currently upgrading its terminal operating system and has introduced a more customer-centric approach to provide better services in line with this strategy.
“Our ongoing modernization and changes in our current practices will propel us to become the leading port in Mindanao. We aim to help spur economic growth in the countryside, especially now that Northern Mindanao, through the Misamis Oriental economic zone, is poised to become a prime investment hub in the region,” said MCT, formerly Mindanao International Container Terminal Services, Inc. MCT is a subsidiary of International Container Terminal Services, Inc., operator of the Manila International Container Terminal.
Equipment modernization at the port area is underway, while installation of new reach stackers, terminal tractors and trailers, and other cutting-edge equipment is expected to continue this year and until mid-2020.
“We’ve ordered additional equipment as part of our upgrades early this year as we expect more volume in shipments. Now that more investments are coming into the Misamis Oriental economic zone, we have to be ready to accommodate the surge in demand,” MCT said.
Phividec Industrial Authority (PIA), the government agency that manages, supervises, and administers MOSEZ, previously said new investments are expected to come in as companies have started putting up businesses in the area. MCT expects to tap this market soon.
Currently, MCT accepts both international and domestic shipments, offering container handling services, yard management, reefer monitoring services, and water bunkering, among others.
The port terminal also plans to become a transshipment hub connecting Northern Mindanao to Visayas and other parts of the country, ensuring that the business community in Cagayan de Oro has access to the rest of the country through MCT.
“We continue to develop new products, distinct offerings and grow our transshipment business to help homegrown businesses in CDO and Mindanao expand their reach. With the ongoing modernization, MCT is set to become the first port of call for international vessels in Mindanao,” MCT said.
According to data from PIA, container traffic handled by MCT slightly increased by 0.4% in 2018 as foreign shipments improved while domestic boxes declined significantly.
The Mindanao terminal accommodated 229,634 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in 2018 from 228,729 TEUs in 2017.
