-
San Miguel Corp. (SMC) awarded dredging contractor Boskalis Philippines Inc. the US$1.73-billion contract to develop land for the Manila International Airport project site
-
Construction of the P740-billion airport in Bulacan is set to start in the first quarter of 2021
-
The airport will be designed to withstand large earthquakes, local typhoon conditions, and future sea level rise
Construction of the P740-billion Manila International Airport (MIA) project in Bulacan is set to take off in the first quarter of 2021 after San Miguel Corp. (SMC) awarded Boskalis Philippines, Inc. a US$1.73-billion contract to undertake land development works on the airport complex site.
SMC president and chief operating officer Ramon S. Ang said Dutch firm Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V., through its wholly owned subsidiary Boskalis Philippines Inc., has been chosen to carry out the land development.
“Our selection of a global giant in dredging shows how ready, willing, and committed we are to do everything necessary to make sure this airport project is developed properly and sustainably. We will make sure it will serve and benefit Filipinos, our host province Bulacan, and the rest of the Philippines, for many generations to come,” Ang said in a statement.
“Boskalis has committed to ensure that the area will be suitable for development. It will be designed with the highest technical and environmental standards, so it can withstand potential large earthquakes, local typhoon conditions, and even future sea level rise,” Ang added.
Global dredging contractor Boskalis is known for major projects worldwide such as the ongoing development of Singapore’s Tuas Terminal Phase 2 port and its Tekong polder projects. Boskalis is also part of many other landmark projects worldwide including the development of the Songdo International City in South Korea, the Punta Pacifica Islands in Panama, the five islands in Makassar in Indonesia, and the Ijburg residential area in Amsterdam.
With the selection of Boskalis, Ang said preparatory works to develop the land at the airport site in Bulakan are scheduled to start in the first quarter of 2021 and to be fully completed by 2024.
In a separate statement, Boskalis chief executive officer Peter Berdowski said Boskalis creates land all over the world “to the highest technical and environmental standards.”
“We enthusiastically look forward to applying this know-how for the land development of the MIA Project. During the construction phase, we will contribute to the local economy and the new airport will bring further growth to the whole Manila region,” he said.
Boskalis’ workplan and methodology include measures to prevent soil liquefaction in the entire area.
The Department of Transportation and SMC’s unit, San Miguel Aerocity, in September 2019 signed the concession agreement for the project. This came after the notice of award was handed to SMC in August 2019 when its unsolicited proposal went uncontested.
Under the deal, San Miguel will finance, design, construct, supply, complete, test, commission, and operate and maintain the new international gateway.
The 50-year concession period will start after construction of the project’s initial phase is completed. The project is under a build-operate-transfer arrangement.
The airport, to be built on a 2,500-hectare area in Bulakan, will have a passenger terminal building with a design capacity of 100 million to 200 million passengers per year, four parallel runways that are upgradable to six, and eight taxiways.
