Subic's Container Port Is Philippines New Global Gateway

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SUBIC BAY FREEPORT, May 16 Asia Pulse - Subic's New Container Terminal-1 (NCT-1) was formally launched recently and is now expected to enhance the Philippines' role in the global logistics market.

NCT-1, which comprises the first phase of Subic's 5-million port development project, has a cargo-handling capacity of 300,000 total equipment units (TEU) (twenty-foot equivalent units) and is now primed to position Subic Bay as the new maritime logistics center of the Philippines, said Armand Arezza, administrator of the SUbic Bay Authority (SBMA).

"With the newly opened Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx), the NCT-1 and later the NCT-2 could exponentially increase global market access for industries in Central and Northern Luzon," Arreza said.

The NCT-1, which is now being operated by the Subic Bay International Terminal Corp. (SETTC, has already unloaded it's first shipment last April when the 1,200-TEU MN Eagle Excellence delivered cargoes from the port of Kaoshung in Taiwan.

But SBITC chose to formally launch the container port after the April 28 opening of the SCTEx to highlight the combined trade potentials of the port and the expressway.

"We are hoping to bring in the port users from Subic, Clark and Tarlac, together with the shipping lines that are making port calls in Manila as well get them talking, and find out what each party could do to support the development of this facility," said SBITC general manager Aurelio Garcia.

"This is becase our main market, besides the Subic Bay Freeport Locators are business from Clark, Tarlac and Angeles City. This event also gives them the chance to experience the convenience that the SCTEx brings," he said.

Garcia added tht SBITC, together with the SBMA will also conduct road shows in Subic, Bataan, Clark, Tarlac and other provinces in Central and Northern Luzon to introduce NCT-1 to potential clients.

The team also plans to travel abroad to induce foreign shipping lines to see Subic as their transshipment hub, he said.

The commercial operation of the NCT-1 is seen to boost Subic's bid to attract more investments this year and become a major catalyst in propelling economic growth in the country.

Businessmen from Subic, meanwhile, echoed the same enthusiasm. "It's a very exciting time for the Freeport," said John Corcoran, president of the Subic Bay Freeport Chamber of Commerce (SBFCC). NCT-1 is going to be a great resource for the business located here." Subic's container port and the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) at the neighboring Clark Freeport are the key ingredients to government efforts in transforming the former Subic and Clark military bases into a globally-competitive service and logistics hub in the Asia-pacific region.

Subic's port and Clark's airport are now connected by the 94-kilometer SCTEx, which is expected to play a crucial role in the facilitating the efficient transfer of raw materials, products and services between the two free ports and other areas in Luzon.

(PNA)

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