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Civil works for the New Cebu International Container Port project in Tayud, Consolacion are currently being procured so groundwork can go on as scheduled in August 2021
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The Department of Transportation is addressing road right-of-way acquisition issues relating to the construction of an access road that will connect the international port to the main road in Barangay Tayud
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Approval of the grant of working visa for Korean consultants by the Department of Foreign Affairs is being processed
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Once complete, the port will serve all international cargoes in and out of Cebu while the existing Cebu International Port at Cebu baseport will then form part of the Port of Cebu’s domestic port to augment port domestic operations
Civil works for the New Cebu International Container Port (NCICP) project in Tayud, Consolacion are now being procured so that groundwork can finally begin as scheduled in August 2021, according to the Cebu Port Authority (CPA).
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) targets the awarding of the project in July 2021 and groundbreaking is scheduled for August 16, 2021, said CPA Planning and Monitoring Division acting manager Engr. Romel Pegarom, in a presentation during the recent forum of the Maritime League.
The NCICP project costs around P9.962 billion, to be financed through a US$172.64-million loan agreement signed in 2018 by the Philippine government and South Korea’s Export Import Bank of Korea (KEXIM). The loan, equivalent to P8.48 billion, will have a counterpart fund of around P1.28 billion from the Philippine government.
“We have experienced delays mostly due to lacking clearances and the COVID-19 pandemic; however, we look forward to the start of the construction of the project as we see it as a long-term solution to the congestion problems of the current Cebu International Port (CIP),” CPA general manager Leonilo Miole said in a statement.
READ: Pre-procurement for P10B Cebu int’l port to start this month
CPA said it will operate the port, which will serve all international cargoes in and out of Cebu, once it is completed. The existing Cebu International Port at Cebu baseport will then form part of the Port of Cebu’s domestic port to augment port domestic operations.
Pegarom said DOTr is currently addressing road right-of-way (ROW) acquisition issues relating to the construction of an access road that will connect the international port to the main road in Barangay Tayud.
The approval of the grant of working visa for Korean consultants by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is also being processed.
DOTr and the Consolacion municipal government are set to ink a memorandum of agreement (MOA) to download a P132 million budget to proceed with the road ROW acquisition.
The new port will include a berthing facility with a 500-meter-long quay wall that can simultaneously accommodate two 2,000 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) vessels; operating facilities and structures for containers such as a freight station and an inspection shed; an access road and bridge; and a dredged waterway and turning basin.
Aside from the construction of physical structures, the project also covers the procurement of cargo-handling equipment and consulting services.
The NCICP project is set to be completed on May 28, 2024.
A new international terminal is seen as the long-term solution to the growing volumes handled at CIP. It is expected not only to free up the baseport but also to enhance the transport infrastructure system for the unimpeded flow of goods and services in the Visayas.
