SBMA Chairman Roberto Garcia said that the containers were among the 721 containers that arrived at the New Container Terminal 2 in the Subic Freeport on board M/V Asterix from the Port of Manila on Friday morning.
“After receiving reports that some of the containers are emitting a foul smell and are already leaking, we ordered them to be segregated from the other containers and be returned to Manila today (Monday),” Garcia said in a press conference here.
Garcia said that Subic has agreed to store the containers in order to assist the national government in addressing the congestion in Manila ports.
“But that’s as long as they conform to the SBMA’s environmental laws and policies,” Garcia stressed.
“This should not happen again, that is why we will now ask for a full summary of each container van entering the Port of Subic from Manila,” he added.
The SBMA is expecting more than 3,000 containers to be delivered in Subic. These are all either declared seized by the Bureau of Customs (BoC), or unclaimed and overstaying at the Manila International Container Port.
Garcia explained that the economic loss due to delays of unloading the containers from ships was enormous.
“There is already no space in the ports of Manila for incoming containers, and Subic is the answer,” he added.
Garcia also announced during the media conference that there is a big possibility that NCT-2 may be declared as extension of the Port of Manila and may be designated as “Berth No. 7.”
He added that the SBMA has been conferring with other agencies on plans for this possible development. (RAV/MPD-SBMA)
PHOTO:
The M/V Asterix is seen here docked at the New Container Terminal in the Subic Bay Freeport to unload container vans from the Port of Manila and help ease port congestion. The SBMA on Monday ordered the return of 16 of these container vans back to Manila port after it was found that they were leaking and emitting foul odor.
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