The rollout of the container booking system (CBS) by port operators at Manila’s two international terminals is targeted for the third quarter of the year, according to a port executive.
During a port briefing last week, Manila South Harbor port operator Asian Terminals Inc. (ATI) vice president Sean Perez said the introduction of the CBS, known alternatively as the vehicle booking system (VBS) and truck appointment system, is set sometime July to September.
Australian IT company 1-Stop has been tapped by ATI and by International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI), operator of the Manila International Container Terminal (MICT), to provide the technology for implementing CBS.
Perez said the system will enhance port efficiency and operational predictability since the arrival of trucks will be well-coordinated; reduce congestion on roads and the immediate port environment; shorten delay time for truck operators and increase their trips per day; and yield greater efficiency for importers and exporters.
Furthermore, the technology will speed up port processes as it will align container withdrawal demand with terminal capacity on a 24-hour basis, Perez said.
The system requires truckers to secure an advance appointment from port operators before proceeding to the port to pick up or deposit containers.
Christian Gonzalez, ICTSI head for Asia Pacific and the Subcontinent, earlier told PortCalls that during the initial phases of the CBS, “times will be booked for containers, giving importers the flexibility to choose any trucking provider they want.”
There will also be consultations with customers to make sure the project succeeds, Gonzalez added.
Manila port operators have been suggesting the creation of a VBS or CBS even before the Manila City government implemented the truck ban last year that triggered massive congestion in Manila ports.
During the same port briefing, Gonzalez pointed out the CBS will only be fully effective if there are no truck bans.
Cabinet Secretary Jose Rene Almendras, who heads the Cabinet Cluster on Port Decongestion, said the 24/7 trade lane implemented last year by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority remains in place and can be used by truckers when they avail of the CBS.
He said local government units (LGUs), once they see the benefits to traffic of the CBS, may even consider lifting their own truck bans.
Truckers at the briefing, however, noted that the 24/7 trade lane is only for truckers going to the north; trucks on Nichols Road and South Luzon Expressway still face apprehension.
Moreover, Malabon recently imposed a daytime truck ban that covers a national road on which trucks pass. Almendras said he will again talk to the operator of SLEX, which had previously agreed on a one-lane scheme for trucks. As for LGUs, the Cabinet official said city mayors have already agreed not to impose truck bans on national roads.
Meanwhile, Almendras said Microsoft Philippines has agreed to come up with a system to track the movement of containers leaving and entering the port via text messages. No other details were given.
The other automation project which monitors part of the logistics chain is the empty container return application being spearheaded by the Association of International Shipping Lines. The system is undergoing pilot testing by three volunteer carriers and container yards. – Roumina Pablo
Image courtesy of Sailom at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
