Subic port is increasingly becoming an important trade center pushed by and its attraction will be enhanced with government’s plan to build a P57-billion railway connecting the Freeport with Clark.
In a report, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) said exports going out of Subic port rose 38 percent to $2.3 billion in 2017 from $1.7 billion in 2016.
Imports that passed through the port similarly rose 11 percent to $1.77 billion from $1.6 billion in 2016.
The report shows containerized cargo volume jumped 13 percent to 140,938 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) from 124,707 TEUs in 2016.
In contrast, non-containerized cargo volume fell 6 percent to 6.6 million metric tons from 7 mmt in 2016.
Ship calls improved in the international front, outstripping domestic calls.
Foreign ship calls stood at 1,526, up 12 percent from 1,365 in 2016. Domestic ship calls however declined 27 percent to 1,252 from 1,704 in 2016.
As a result of these activities, port revenues in Subic in 2017 rose 6 percent to P1.21 billion from P1.14 billion in 2016.
Government is planning to build a railway connecting Subic with Clark airport, initially as a cargo and eventually as a passenger service.
Joshua Bingcang, vice president for business development and operations of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) said a new alignment would be set up between Subic and Clark passing through Dinalupihan in Bataan and Floridablanca, Porac and Angeles City in Pampanga.
Bingcang said the establishment of the cargo rail will incentivize business to shift from Manila and decongest public roads.
He said hauling goods via rail could be cheaper by 25 to 50 percent than by land.
“This system will further bring down cost of movement of goods, an alternative to truckers especially those using Gapan-Olongapo road and the Subic-Clark Tarlac expressway,” said Bingcang.
The project, awaiting approval of the National Economic and Development Authority board, is one of the projects under official development assistance from the government of China.
Bingcang said the BCDA hopes to finalize the loan support this year and start construction next year.
Construction could take three years.
Subic-Clark railway is part of the Greater Luzon Railway System being planned by government. Malaya Business Insight)
http://www.malaya.com.ph/business-news/business/rail-enhance-subic-port%E2%80%99s-attraction
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