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Pagadian port in Zamboanga del Sur has welcomed its first ever container vessel call
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MV Seaborne Cargo 9, owned by local carrier Seaborne Shipping, unloaded 104 TEUs on August 2
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The maiden call has been realized through cargo-handling gear installed by new port operator Mega Lifters Cargo Handling and the Pagadian local government’s economic campaign
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PPA PMO-Zamboanga says Mega Lifters plans to regularly cater to container vessels
Pagadian port in Zamboanga del Sur handled its first-ever container vessel on August 2.
MV Seaborne Cargo 9, operated by domestic carrier Seaborne Shipping Lines Inc., discharged 104 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) said in a statement.
The agency said the call was made possible by the new port terminal operator, Mega Lifters Cargo Handling Corp., which has installed cargo-handling equipment at the gateway, as well as the economic campaign of the local government of Pagadian City.
“They will make another trip next week. But there’s a plan to open container routes from Sandakan, Malaysia to Pagadian City, Manila to Pagadian, Cebu to Pagadian and vice versa on a regular basis,” PPA Port Management Office (PMO)-Zamboanga told PortCalls in a statement.
PMO-Zamboanga said the terminal operator’s plan is to cater regularly to container vessels.
Prior to Mega Lifters’ takeover in December 2022, Pagadian port had been handling tramping vessels carrying copra and cement.
Last December, PMO-Zamboanga turned over the management and operation of Pagadian port to Mega Lifters, which won the 15-year port terminal management contract for the gateway.
RELATED READ: Mega Lifters takes over Pagadian port
Mega Lifters was the lone bidder for the contract during the April 2022 opening of bids for Pagadian port, proposing a concession fee of P132.17 million.
The contract covers management and operation of the cargo-handling, roll-on/roll-off, and other port-related services at the port.
The bidding was done through open competitive bidding using the non-discretionary pass/fail criterion as specified in PPA Administrative Order No. 12-2018, as amended.
RELATED READ: PPA bares guidelines for awarding of port management contracts
AO 12-2018 provides the guidelines for selecting and awarding contracts under PPA’s Port Terminal Management Regulatory Framework (PTMRF), which outlines new rules for terminal management contracts.
Pagadian port falls under Tier 3 of the PTMRF, which means the contractor’s investments include above-ground fixtures and semi-fixtures, and mobile handling equipment (e.g. passenger terminal building, cranes, forklifts, trucks). – Roumina Pablo
