THE Philippines will
be able to comply with the anti-terrorism law implemented
by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) despite
widespread skepticism from global security experts.
Government agencies concerned and local shipping stakeholders
are positive that the country will meet the July 1
deadline for the implementation of the International
Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code.
Industry and security
experts earlier said they anticipated "trade chaos"
with the enforcement of the anti-terror law, noting
in particular the very short space of time to comply
(the Code was approved December 2002) and the lack
of direction from governments. The Philippine Ports
Authority (PPA) is, however, is confident that the
country's ports will be declared safe and compliant
with the ISPS Code by the deadline. The Maritime Industry
Authority likewise appears positive, noting a survey
recently conducted among shipping operators assures
stakeholders are on the positive side with regards
their compliance level.
PPA general manager
Alfonso Cusi said that to date 80% of the ports under
PPA jurisdication have already submitted security
plans to meet the ISPS requirements. "As early as
October 2002, PPA assistant general manager Benjamin
Cecillo has been tasked to ensure that steps to enhance
the capability of its security and law enforcement
units to respond to emerging security challenges brought
about by global terrorism and lawlessness are undertaken,
" he pointed out. Cusi added the port agency is fast
tracking compliance with the ISPS. "We want to maintain
our smooth trading with the rest of the world while
ensuring security in our ports," he said. MARINA,
for its part, has already laid down regulations pertaining
to the installation of ship security equipment and
the implementation of maritime security measures for
Philippine-registered ships engaged in international
voyages. Asian Terminals, Inc. and International Container
Terminal Services, Inc. are winding up preparations
for the Code. Both terminal operators said they will
submit their security plans by early part of the second
quarter.
Private port operator
Harbor Center Port Terminal, Inc., on the other hand,
already considers itself 100% compliant with the ISPS
Code. "We have already submitted to PPA our port security
assessment plan. We are just waiting for their feedback
if it is already sufficient," the company noted. The
ISPS Code contains detailed security-related requirements
for governments, port authorities, and shipping companies,
together with a series of guidelines on how to meet
these requirements. The Code entails the installation
of ship-to-shore security alert systems and full documentation
of crew, employers and charterers of any ship entering
any particular port.
International vessels
coming from non-compliant ports face sanctions such
as tighter inspection and even refusal into ports.
CONTAINER shipping lines
operating from the US to Asia are recommending an
across the board restoration of freight rates for
wastepaper, to minimum levels previously established
during 2003.
Wastepaper rates were
adopted by the lines at different times last year
and vary according to factors such as destination
country, U.S. point of origin, and whether the shipment
moves entirely by ocean or a via inland rail/truck
transport. Rate levels have since slipped, despite
sustained growth in industrial orders for recycled
paper out of Asia. Demand for recycled office-grade
paper, newsprint, packing materials and other paper
types grew by more than 28% in 2003 over the previous
year throughout Asia, and particularly in China.
Wastepaper has been
among the lowest rated containerized commodities moving
across the Pacific, but it is also the number one
cargo in terms of volume. During 2003, the equivalent
of 734,000 20-foot containers (TEU) of wastepaper
were shipped from the US to Asia, accounting for 20.1%
of the total cargo moving in that trade lane. Shipping
lines in the Westbound Transpacific Stabilization
Agreement (WTSA), a carrier discussion group, said
that rates today do not reflect current demand, wastepaper's
share of the market or its unique characteristics
and shipping patterns. Shipping wastepaper frequently
entails added cleaning and maintenance of container
equipment, and delays in container unloading and return.
WTSA is a voluntary discussion
and research forum of 13 major container shipping
lines serving the trade from ports and inland points
in the US to destinations throughout Asia. Information
on all recent and scheduled guideline actions adopted
by WTSA can be found on the Agreement's web site,
www.wtsacarriers.org.
Batangas
port eyes more than 100% hike in box traffic this
year
THE port of Batangas
is expected to post a more than a 100% growth in container
throughput by end of the year, according to the port's
sole operator ATI-Batangas, Inc. The projection is
in line with perceived development of the Batangas
port as an international transshipment hub.
Last year, the port handled
13,122 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU), a figure
which ATI-Batangas expects to rise 133.45% by year-end
to 30,633 TEUs. The company said Batangas' large potential
to serve industries south of Manila is slowly being
realized. In addition, with Manila ports already nearing
saturation, more shipping lines may consider transferring
their port of call to Batangas, it added. APL, one
of the largest international shipping firms in the
world, is already calling regularly at the Batangas
port.
In the area of general
cargoes, ATI-Batangas is expecting a 14.83% increase
to 322,490 metric tons (MT) this year. In 2003, general
cargo volume dropped 23% to 280,847 MT from 365,937
MT of the previous year. With the launch of the Strong
Republic Nautical Highway (SRNH) in mid-2002which
promotes the roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) system, Batangas
port recorded a 10.5% increase in the number of rolling
cargoes (ro-ro vehicles) to 142,258 from 128,747.
This year, ATI-Batangas is projecting a modest growth
of 2.62%. ATI-Batangas said completely built up-units
or CBUs are also expected to pick up 41% this year
to 10,635 from 7,558 handled in 2003.
Meanwhile, a 10.23%
increase in passenger traffic to 2,327,680 was recorded
last year from 2,111,648 a year before. The port is
expected to handle 7.9% more passengers (2,511,668)
by end of the year.
THE Harbour Centre Port
Terminals, Inc. (HCPTI) is targeting revenues of P150
million to P200 million this year. In an interview
with reporters at the sidelines of the Harbour Centre
launch in Makati last week, HCPTI chairman Reghis
Romero said the P5-billion port terminal already made
P20 million in the first two months of 2004.
The launch focused on
the facility's readiness to accommodate containerized
cargoes. At present, its permit covers only international
breakbulk or non-containerized cargoes. Romero said
the company can handle containerized cargoes in as
little as six months. He also noted the terminal's
capability to help bring down transport costs by as
much as 50% through its modern and efficient facilities.
The launch, he stressed, signifies the port's readiness
to handle all types of domestic and foreign vessels.
"Harbour Centre was technically designed to cater
to all kinds of vessels.
We
have the facilities and equipment to back this
up. Our track record in the short span of time
we've been in operation speaks well of our capabilities,"
added Michael Romero, chief executive officer
of Harbour Centre Port. Harbour Centre is located
within the 79-hectare Manila Harbour Centre,
a mixed-use commercial industrial estate hailed
as the "Port City of Manila". It features deep
berthing drafts of 10.5 to 12 meters, which
the company claims as the widest and deepest
among all ports in Manila.
The port can accommodate
12 vessels at a time and comes with a 15-hectare
back up area with stacking capacity of six TEUs
high capable of storing up to 500,000 containerized
cargoes. Complementing its facilities are modern
port equipment, including 15, 12, 10, 8, 5 and
3-ton forklifts, and the P250-million Gottwald
Mobile Harbour Crane. Harbour Centre can move
around 30,000 tons of cargoes in 24 hours, the
company said.
Michael Romero, chief executive
officer
Harbour Centre Port
The port is currently
servicing 100 vessels per month. It has accommodated
vessels of up to 240 meters long and up to 11.7 meters
deep. Ships up to 60,000 metric tons have also docked
at Harbour Centre Port.
SOUTH COTABATO INTEGRATED
PORTS SERVICES, INC. (SCIPSI) was recently awarded
certification to the international environmental management
system standard of ISO 14001 by the Anglo-Japanese-American
Registrars Ltd. (AJA) at the SCIPSI Administration
Building at the Makar Wharf in General Santos City.
The certification validates
SCIPSI's conformance with the standards set by the
International Organization for Standardization, which
has been adopted by leading corporations around the
world. SCIPSI is the first ISO 14001-certified cargo
handling operator in Visayas and Mindanao and the
fourth port operator to be so in the Philippines.
Paul Bagatsing, AJA
representative, awarded the certificate to Ferdinand
Inacay, SCIPSI general manager. Guests during the
ceremony included Mayor Pedro Acharon; Rene Subido,
Growth with Equity in Mindanao Area adviser; Pilar
Afuang, General Santos City Chamber of Commerce and
Industry executive director; Nenita Barroso, Department
of Trade and Industry chief engineer; Pedro Riego,
Philippine Ports Authority PPA officer-in-charge;
and representatives from domestic and foreign shipping
lines.
ISO 14001 is an international
standard for environmental management used by organizations
to reduce the environmental impact brought by its
processes, practices and operations. SCIPSI
is an affiliate of International Container Terminal
Services, Inc.
ASIAN TERMINALS INC.
sees a busy year ahead for its supply base operations
in Batangas. ATI-Batangas, Inc. terminal manager Rafael
Cosme said two oil oil explorations will commence
this year that will hopefully keep its Batangas facilities
humming.
The facility already
services the logistics requirements of the $4.5-billion
Malampaya natural gas project. ATI provides the various
contractors of Shell Philippines Exploration (SPEX)
with provisioning, watering, ship handling, waste
management, customs brokerage, transshipment and forwarding.
It also provides inventory
management for SPEX and contractors 24 hours a day.
The Philippine Ports
Authority (PPA) recently denied claims by a transportation
expert that the agency holds conflicting functions
that hamper the growth of the ports industry. Primitivo
Cal of the University of the Philippines School of
Urban and Regional Planning, earlier said there is
conflict of interest in PPA's mandate of being both
a government regulatory body and operator of ports
where there are no cargo handlers.
Cal, formerly undersecretary
of the Department of Transportation and Communication,
said the port agency does not foster a level playing
field, resulting in sluggish development of the industry.
But in a meeting with various transportation agencies
and private stakeholders, PPA general manager Alfonso
Cusi said the port agency is "trying to shy away from
being a regulatory body and [port] owner/operator
at the same time." He said the port agency as much
as possible leaves cargo handling to private port
operators so it can concentrate on its regulatory
function. "We just lay down the policies and regulations,"
he noted.
Cusi added PPA has also
tried to amend its charter for a clearer delineation
between its regulatory and operational functions.
"There have been previous attempts to re-write it,
but it is difficult to change the law," he pointed
out. Under Executive Order No. 159 issued in 1987,
the PPA undertakes all port development projects.
It also gives the agency the power to operate and
manage ports with cargo handling issues. Iloilo is
an example of a port with a cargo handling issue.
The port agency said the previous cargo handler operated
the port to the detriment of users, prompting a takeover
in December 2002.
Around 12% of the more
than a thousand ports in the Philippines or approximately
24 seaports are under PPA's jurisdiction. This is
composed of 22 base ports and 102 secondary/terminal
ports.
"K" Line Air Service
Phils., Inc. recently inaugurated its Clark branch
office located at Room 8-A, Philexcel Business Center,
Clark Special Economic Zone in Angeles City, Pampanga.
The event was attended by Mr. and Mrs. Bayani Coching
and the managers of "K" Line Air/Mercury Freight Group
of Companies.
The staff of Mac-nels
Shipping (Phils.) Inc. recently went on a tour of
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In the group were Nataniel
Solomon, Richard Candelaria, Luz Caliwag, Mercy Castillo,
Jona Jomonong, Melanie Ramirez, Denia Ibale, Adonis
and Emily Tabile (photo below).
Earlier, company managers
also attended a meeting in Kuching, Malaysia. Second
photo shows Castillo, Caliwag, Tabile and Ibale during
a meeting break.
