-
Vessel and yard operations at Manila, Batangas, and Subic ports will be temporarily suspended on April 2 in observance of the Holy Week
-
The Bureau of Customs will conduct a database upgrade of the Electronic-to-Mobile (E2M) System on April 2 from 1 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Vessel and yard operations at Manila, Batangas, and Subic ports will be temporarily suspended on April 2 in observance of Holy Week.
In an advisory, port operator Asian Terminals Inc. (ATI) said yard, gate, and vessel operations at Manila South Harbor Container Terminal Division, Manila South Harbor Stevedoring Division, Batangas Container Terminal, and ATI Batangas Inc. will be temporarily suspended from 7 a.m. of April 2 to 7 a.m. of April 3 in observance of Holy Week.
ATI’s Laguna depot operations will also be temporarily suspended from 5 a.m. of April 2 to 8 a.m. of April 3.
The gates of Manila International Container Terminal will also be temporarily closed from 4 a.m. on April 2, while the port will be closed starting 7 a.m. on the same day. Operations will resume at 7 a.m. on April 3.
The gates of Subic Bay International Terminal Corp. (SBITC) will likewise be temporarily closed on April 2 starting 5 a.m., while yard and vessel operations will be closed from 7 a.m. on the same day. Operations will resume at 7 a.m. on April 3. Billing, however, will be closed from April 1 to 4.
Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority Seaport Department will still deploy a skeleton workforce during Holy Week, according to general manager Jerome Martinez.
Meanwhile, the Bureau of Customs’ (BOC) Management Information System and Technology Group will conduct a database upgrade of the Electronic-to-Mobile (E2M) System on April 2 from 1 a.m. to 5 p.m., according to Office of the Commissioner Memo No. 53-2021 dated March 16.
During this time, the E2M production server will be unavailable, but stakeholders can still submit their electronic goods declaration to their BOC-accredited value service providers.
Meanwhile, port and maritime authorities in a joint statement on March 28 said vessel operations, cargo-handling operations, and other port-related ancillary services and activities will continue during the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) period in Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal from March 29 to April 4. This coincides with this year’s Holy Week.
READ: DOTr sets transport guidelines under ECQ
The joint advisory was issued after the government announced on March 27 that NCR Plus—composed of Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Rizal, and Laguna—will again be placed under ECQ from March 29 to April 4, 2021 amidst the rise of COVID-19 cases in the country.
Passenger vessels will also continue operations at 50% capacity, following protocols provided by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) in accordance with the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) Resolution 106-A issued on March 27.
Maritime travel will also be subject to the requirements to be imposed by the local government units (LGU) where voyages originate and end.
All maritime vessels and port facilities should also observe stricter adherence and observance of health protocols as well as fully observe and comply with the guidance and orders from other concerned agencies.
According to the latest IATF omnibus guidelines dated March 28, the road, rail, maritime, and aviation sectors of public transportation will be allowed to operate at the capacity set by DOTr and following the protocols provided by the agency.
The movement of cargo/delivery vehicles as well as vehicles used by public utility companies should be unhampered.
Logistics service providers (delivery and courier services, cargo handling, warehousing, trucking, freight forwarding, port operations and shipping lines) are also allowed to operate at 100% capacity. – Roumina Pablo
