Businesses make a beeline for Batangas

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Batangas port tour of Philippine Liner Shipping Association members (L to R): Lorenzo Shipping vice president Jun Saldaño, Harry, Gothong Southern Shipping Shipping Lines, Inc. vice president-Manila operations Rex Yuvienco, Meridian Cargo Christina Tio, 2Go vice president-Freight Sales Jun Manalang, Philippine Span Asia Carrier Corp. vice president Dexter Go, Moreta Shipping Lines, Inc. officer-in-charge Meloday Moreta, Solid Shipping Jonathan Tiu, Philippine Liner Shipping Association executive director Rona Gatdula and PLSA secretariat Grace Zulueta.
Batangas Port throughput grew 144% in the first quarter from the same quarter in 2013.
Batangas Port throughput grew 144% in the first quarter from the same quarter in 2013.

BATANGAS CITY, PHILIPPINES – More and more businesses are looking to use Batangas port as an alternative to Manila, following the imposition of the Manila truck ban and the resulting slow truck turnaround and higher trucking rates.

In a presentation to Philippine Liner Shipping Association members during last week’s Batangas port tour, Reginald Rivera, Asian Terminals Inc marketing manager for Batangas Container Terminal, ATI Batangas and Inland Clearance Depot, said major manufacturing companies, which ship from both Manila and Batangas, plan to make full use of Batangas port.

Another potential user, a Marikina-based multinational company, will make trial runs at the port by end April or early May.On the carrier end, more foreign shipping lines have expressed serious intentions of including Batangas port in their rotations. Another potential service may come right through this May. Right now only MCC vessels call every Saturday.

In future, Rivera promised “more to come”.

Batangas port tour of Philippine Liner Shipping Association members (L to R): Lorenzo Shipping vice president Jun Saldaño, Harry, Gothong Southern Shipping Shipping Lines, Inc. vice president-Manila operations Rex Yuvienco, Meridian Cargo Christina Tio, 2Go vice president-Freight Sales Jun Manalang, Philippine Span Asia Carrier Corp. vice president Dexter Go, Moreta Shipping Lines, Inc. officer-in-charge Meloday Moreta,  Solid Shipping Jonathan Tiu, Philippine Liner Shipping Association executive director Rona Gatdula and PLSA secretariat Grace Zulueta.
Batangas port tour of Philippine Liner Shipping Association (PLSA) members (L to R): Lorenzo Shipping vice president Jun Saldaño, Gothong Southern Shipping Lines, Inc. staff, Gothong vice president-Manila operations Rex Yuvienco, Meridian Cargo Forwarders assistant general manager Christina Tio, 2Go vice president-Freight Sales Jun Manalang, Philippine Span Asia Carrier Corp. vice president Dexter Go, Moreta Shipping Lines, Inc. officer-in-charge Melody Moreta, Solid Shipping vice president for Operations Jonathan Tiu, PLSA executive director Rona Gatdula and PLSA secretariat Grace Zulueta.

Rivera said importers and exporters are now asking “What is your schedule?” rather than what Batangas can offer.

He added, “The Batangas port has gained significant profile over the course of the year. This is evidenced by the strong volume upsurge which is very encouraging and points towards the direction of growth in the near term.”

Later in a chance interview with PortCalls in Batangas, Universal Robina Corp. sales logistics manager Rene Cruz said the company is also studying the use of Batangas port, noting “you cannot wait for the problem in Metro Manila to ease before we take our move.”

Cruz, who said he was invited by ATI to look at the port facilities, noted, “We are really looking forward to utilizing Batangas port especially since most of our plants are located in the South.”

URC has seven plants in Laguna and Cavite, about 60 kilometers from the port of Batangas.

Volume that can potentially go through Batangas is 800 to 1,000 TEUs each month, he said.

Right now, URC is eyeing facilities to handle its imports, mostly coming from China, as well as interisland shipments (from Luzon to Visayas and Mindanao).

Asked if he thought tariff in Batangas would be higher than in Manila, Cruz said this situation would be “fine as long as (there’s) faster turnaround.”

Meanwhile, Philippine Ports Authority-Batangas said 14 trucking operators had already shifted operations to Batangas from Manila due to difficulties brought about by the Manila truck ban. No details were given.

 

Soaring volumes

Truck ban or no, Batangas port’s container throughput is seeing dramatic improvements. As of the first-quarter of the year, volume soared 144% to 3,819 twenty-equivalent units (TEU) from 1,564 TEUs in the same quarter in 2013, according to ATI’s Rivera.

For the whole of 2013, throughput jumped 76% to 11,019.5 TEUs in 2013 from 6,251 TEUs year-on-year.

Batangas’ account base also doubled from 24 in 2012 to 62 in 2013. For the first quarter, this number is at 90.

New accounts calling Batangas port include Canon, Continental Temic, Brother, B/E Aerospace, Philip Morris, Nidec, Sunpower, Emperador, Alaska, Yazaki Torres, Manila Cordage, Franklin Baker, Franke, and UAM Phils., Inc. – Text and photos by Roumina M. Pablo