Joint Phl-US war games set in Palawan, Zambales

MANILA, Philippines - This year’s joint Philippine Bilateral Exercise (Phiblex) with the United States will be a bigger military exercise, and will be held in Palawan and Zambales, a military official said yesterday.

“Tentatively, it is scheduled on Sept. 29 to Oct. 10 with 700 Philippine Navy and more or less 2,000 from the US,” said Navy public affairs office chief, Lt. Cmdr. Marideth Domingo.

She said two US Navy ships will also be deployed in the yearly naval event.

Domingo said a series of exercises, including amphibious operations, tactical warfare simulation and maritime security planning will be held in Palawan; San Antonio, Zambales; Subic Bay in Olongapo City, and at the Marine base in Ternate, Cavite.

Troops from the Army and Air Force will train with their US counterparts at Crow Valley in Tarlac and Clark Air Field in Pampanga.

Domingo said Phiblex is a continuation of joint war games with the US similar to the Balikatan exercises and the Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training.

She said the war games have nothing to do with the maritime row in the West Philippine Sea.

“This is just for training purposes,” she said. “The general objective of Phiblex, like in any other exercises in the Navy, is to improve inter-operability and combat readiness of the participating forces as well as enhance security cooperation in the region.” (Jaime Laude, Philippine Star)

http://www.philstar.com/nation/2014/09/11/1367588/joint-phl-us-war-games-set-palawan-zambales

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Is Subic prepared for port congestion?

While government think tanks take a long, hard look at Subic Bay as, perhaps, the solution to the worsening congestion at Manila ports, the question now looms: “Is Subic Freeport ready to take on the challenge?”

Valenzuela City Representative Sherwin Gatchalian has filed a resolution for the house panel to conduct an inquiry into the viability of Subic Freeport in sharing the load of processing containers in order to decongest port operations in Manila.

If Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman Robert Garcia were to answer the question, he would have no hesitation in saying that Subic is ready to take the challenge.

“Subic Freeport’s New Container Terminals (NCTs) are more than capable of handling its fair share of container vans,” said Garcia.

He said that the NCTs can handle 300,000 container vans each and that the current volume of Twenty-footer Equivalent Units (TEUs) is only six percent of what Subic Freeport can handle.

Rest assured, he said, that it is business as usual for cargo handling in Subic as the agency is segregating the Subic shipment from the TEUs being transferred from Manila.

“Operations in Subic Freeport would still be the same as their work won’t be hampered by the proposed transfer of cargoes in Manila. Subic locators would still have their own space for their shipments,” Garcia said.

Aside from cargo handling operations, Garcia is also eyeing a road that will connect the NCTs to the Subic Clark Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) that will not affect Subic Freeport road users. The proposed road would cost P2 billion and would cut through a path behind the Subic Techno Park to avoid taking the usual roads in Subic, shortening the travel time for cargo handlers.

But the proposed road would still have to wait since the agency does not have enough funds to finance the construction. Garcia hopes that the national government would fund the proposed road. (Jonas Reyes, Manila Bulletin)

http://www.mb.com.ph/is-subic-prepared-for-port-congestion/

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Recyclable boats set sail in Subic

Boats made out of recycled materials set sail in the waters of Subic Bay last Saturday at the Lighthouse Marina Resort for the International Coastal Cleanup Zambales Recyclable Regatta challenge.

Teams from different companies, local government units and non-government organizations built their own boats made out of 80 percent recycled materials and raced 100 meters to shore to prove that even trash can be used wisely.

Argee Gomez, Marketing Manager of Harbor Point Mall said that “The purpose of this event is to heighten awareness about plastic pollution and integrate creative outlets that will further educate the public that we can turn our trash as useful tools.”

Most of the boats were made out of plastic bottles, gallons, used styrofoam and wood or bamboo. Makeshift paddles were also made to stir the boats while racing.

Teams braved the waves and strong winds with their make shift boats as the fastest tandem finished the 100-meter course in just under seven minutes, and the last came in 15 minutes later.

“The hardest part of the race is going up to the mark because of the waves and strong winds. After that it was fairly easy because we were just riding the waves back to the shore like surfers,” said Jeric Ejanda from Team Lighthouse.

The team of Ejercito Estrada and Jeric Ejanda from Lighthouse Marina Resort finished first, followed by Brothers Anthony and David Bayarong of Batang Gapo News TV and on third was Marion Baldueza and Michelle Rillon of Red Cross Olongapo.

All teams were winners, since the top three finishers were given major prizes courtesy of Harbor Point Mall, while all other participants went home with consolation prizes provided by Lighthouse Marina Resort Legacy Foundation.

This event is in line with the International Coastal Cleanup-Zambales (ICCZ) on September 20, 2014. The data collected during the cleanup are used for science-based solutions to tackle challenges like ocean trash, and according to cleanup data, plastic items are in the top 10 pollutants which mostly end up in our waterways.

By applying the principles of “Reduce. Reuse. Recycle”, all can make a difference in protecting the environment, the organizers said. (David Bayarong, Sun Star Pampanga)

PHOTO: (courtesy of Lighthouse Marina)

[1] The SBMA Fire Department team rows for the homestretch with their boat made out of recycled materials

[2] Watercrafts made out of recycled materials all lined up at the waterfront beach of Subic Bay Freeport


http://www.sunstar.com.ph/pampanga/local-news/2014/09/09/recyclable-boats-set-sail-subic-364437

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Subic, Batangas to be designated extension ports

MANILA, Philippines - The government is set to designate Subic and Batangas as extension ports to help decongest the ports in Manila in time for the surge in cargo shipments for the Christmas season, a Cabinet official said.

Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya said the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) is set to sign a memorandum of agreement with the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority designating a few berths in the former US military base as extension of the ports of Manila.

“So if your bill of lading specifies Manila, it could be dropped off in Subic,” Abaya said.

Likewise, he added that the same arrangement is being considered for the port of Batangas.

He said shipping lines could call on two ports so it could offload either in Batangas or Subic and load shipments in the ports of Manila.

“Most of the cargo being offloaded in Manila are bound for Batangas or Southern Luzon. So I think we could make arrangements that these shipments could be offloaded in Batangas, in the same way, those who are northbound could be offloaded in Subic,” he said.

The PPA has given importers and brokers until today to remove overstaying customs-cleared cargoes inside the congested ports of Manila, otherwise these containers would be shipped immediately to Subic and Batangas.

At present, importers, exporters and brokers have a five-day grace period after Customs clearance to remove their containers. The cargo would be seized in favor of the government after 15 days.

“We are giving them five days to ship out their goods effective Sept. 8. If they don’t we’ll ship them out to Subic. They are using the ports as their warehouse instead of investing in their own warehouse so we are removing them,” he said.

Starting Oct. 1, Abaya said the government would impose a 10-fold increase in storage fees to decongest the ports of Manila.

Fees for unclaimed cargo would increase to P5,000 from the current P500 for each 20-foot container; to P8,750 from P842 for 35-foot containers; P10,000 from P962.6 for 40-foot containers; and to P11,250 from P1,082.90 for 45-footers.

Congestion at the Manila International Container Terminal of International Container Terminal Services Inc. and South Harbor of Asian Terminals Inc. has caused massive traffic jams in major streets in Metro Manila, extending up to the North Luzon Expressway as trucks trying to get inside the ports clogged major thoroughfares.

Utilization rate at the ports of Manila is expected to improve to 88 percent towards the end of the week after climbing to 90 percent due to the long weekend as containers being released at ports continue to climb to 4,400 per day from 4,200.

As of end June, the number of laden containers piled up at the Manila ports totaled 85,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), which occupied about 104 percent of the port yard, while total empty containers also reached a high of 22,000 TEUs.

The congestion was caused mainly by the daytime truck ban imposed by the Manila city government from Feb. 24 to end May that practically limited the movement of cargo in and out of port to nighttime only.

House probe

Valenzuela City Rep. Sherwin Gatchalian filed a resolution urging the House committee on transportation to conduct an inquiry into the immediate use of the Subic and Batangas City ports as part of a long-term solution to the problem of congestion at the Manila ports.

Gatchalian filed the resolution last week to allow Subic and Batangas City ports to “share the load of processing containers” and will greatly help in decongesting the ports in Manila.

Both facilities have a combined capacity of 600,000 TEUs and are strategically located near Metro Manila, which means Subic and Batangas ports can substantially ease port congestion in Manila.

“Goods heading to Northern and Southern Luzon may instead be assigned to the Subic and Batangas ports, thereby easing the congestion in Manila ports. Those ports have a huge potential in contributing to the economy. They just have to be fully utilized,” he said.

Gatchalian is a senior vice chairman for the House committee on Metro Manila development and a majority member of the committee on trade and industry.

Quezon City Rep. Winston Castelo urged the PPA to hire container vessels, not trucks, to transfer the empty containers to Subic to decongest the Port of Manila.

Castelo, chairman of the House committee on Metro Manila development, said the use of ferries would spare the streets of all the trucks that cause monstrous traffic, slowing down economic activity. (Lawrence Agcaoili, with Delon Porcalla, Paolo Romero, Philippine Star)

PHOTO:
Vessel hired by the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) loading empty containers bound for Subic and Batangas ports

http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2014/09/08/1366602/subic-batangas-be-designated-extension-ports

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Solon files resolution to tap Subic and Batangas ports

A senior administration congressman called on the House Committee on Transportation to inquire into the possibility of immediately tapping Subic and Batangas City ports as a long-term solution to the worsening congestion of Manila ports.

In a resolution, Valenzuela City Rep. Sherwin Gatchalian said the House panel should conduct the inquiry in order that legislative measures may be pursued to support the planned decongestion of the Manila port.

Gatchalian, a member of the Nationalist People’s Coalition, said the Subic and Batangas City ports, which have a combined capacity of 600,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) and are strategically located near Metro Manila, can share the load of processing containers and will greatly help in decongesting the ports in Manila.

“Goods heading to Northern and Southern Luzon may instead be assigned to the Subic and Batangas City ports respectively, thereby easing the congestion in Manila ports. Those ports have a huge potential in contributing to the economy,” said Gatchalian.

The Valenzuela solon called for congressional action to swiftly respond to the alarming overcrowding of the Port of Manila mainly triggered by the Manila City government’s daytime truck ban ordinance.

Gatchalian filed the resolution in response to the alarming bottleneck in the Port of Manila caused mainly by Manila City government’s daytime truck ban ordinance. (Ben Rosario, Manila Bulletin)

http://www.mb.com.ph/solon-files-resolution-to-tap-subic-and-batangas-ports/

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SBMA sends “contaminated” containers back to Manila port

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) sends back to Manila port 16 containers carrying undetermined materials that were found to be leaking and emitting a foul smell.

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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CL growth seen as PNoy puts RDCs to task

The engines of growth has shifted to high gear as President Aquino swore in and took to task the Regional Development Council (RDC) heads of the country in a ceremony held at the Rizal Hall of Malacañang the other day.

Under the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), the new RDC chairpersons are Bulacan Gov. Wilhelmino M. Sy-Alvarado for Region III; Albay Gov. Jose Ma. Clemente “Joey” Salceda for Region 5; Bohol Gov. Edgardo Chatto for Region 7; and Surigao del Norte Gov. Sol Matugas for Mindanao.

In Central Luzon, Gov. Alvarado said that the RDC 3 is focusing on boosting the two special economic zones in the region – the Clark Special Economic Zone in Pampanga and the Subic Bay Freeport in Zambales.

He said that plans are under way for the construction of a fast mass transport system that will link the Clark International Airport to Metro Manila.

“We already have the facilities and we just need to maximize its use in order to further spur more growth in the Central Luzon,” said Alvarado, with his wife Bulacan 1st District Rep. Ma Victoria M. Sy-Alvarado by his side.

He said the President is very serious in expediting various socio-economic development programs in the different parts of the country.

The governor said that the interlinking of the Clark area via a fast mass transport system like the “Bullet Train” of Japan to Metro Manila will create a new booming region. (Freddie C. Velez, Manila Bulletin)

PHOTO:
GROWTH TALKS — President Aquino seems to be telling Bulacan Governor Wilhelmino M. Sy-Alvarado to start rolling up his sleeves in fast-tracking the development programs in Region 3, shortly after being sworn-in as the chairman of the Regional Development Council in Central Luzon the other day at Malacañang. Also in photo are Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas and Gov. Alvarado’s wife, Bulacan 1st District Rep. Ma Victoria R. Sy-Alvarado.

http://www.mb.com.ph/cl-growth-seen-as-pnoy-puts-rdcs-to-task/

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Cabinet cluster agree on measures to decongest Port of Manila

Members of the Cabinet cluster for port decongestion, during a meeting on Tuesday morning, agreed on measures for the immediate decongestion of the Port of Manila, a Palace official has said.

In a press briefing in Malacañang on Tuesday, Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr. said the President prioritizes the immediate resolution of the problem of congestion in the Port of Manila.

The cluster meeting agreed that effective September 8, all cargoes cleared by the Philippine Ports Authority and Bureau of Customs will be given five days to pull out of the Manila ports or they will be shipped out by the government to the Subic and/or Batangas ports.

It also agreed that effective October 1, all cargoes that have been cleared by port authorities but have failed to pull out within the prescribed five-day period will be charged a fine of P5,000 a day.

Coloma further said that the meeting reached a resolution on the implementation of a 24-hour last-mile truck routes for two weeks.

"Ang isang susi dito kasi ang pag-operate ng mga truckers kapag araw ng Linggo at Lunes ng umaga, so they can maximize the utilization of the 24-hour last-mile truck routes," he said, adding that the government will give incentives to truckers who will operate on Sundays.

These truckers will be tagged by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) so they can use the 24-hour last-mile truck routes, he said, explaining that with the last-mile routes, truckers can complete their trip, even during the truck ban.

Truck routes that will be open 24/7 include the Roxas Boulevard and Quirino Avenue truck lanes going to the south and the A. Bonifacio C3 to NLEX truck lanes going to the north.

The Cabinet cluster for port decongestion is composed of the respective heads of the Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of Transportation and Communication, Department of Finance, Department of Trade and Industry, the National Economic and Development Authority, and the MMDA.

Joining them during Tuesday’s meeting were the respective heads of the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, and the Bureau of Customs. (PCOO/PND)

http://news.pia.gov.ph/index.php?article=1751409661526

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Stinky containers sent back

Subic Bay Freeport — Some 16 containers will have a return trip to Manila as authorities here discovered that these were emitting a stench while two of them are leaking.

This was the statement made by Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman Roberto Garcia during a press conference yesterday on the progress of the transfer of containers from Manila port to Subic Freeport.

Garcia said that the 16 containers were part of the 721 containers that arrived at the New Container Terminal-2 here which were shipped via the MV Asterix on Friday morning.

The transfer to Subic was SBMA’s thrust to help ease the port congestion in Manila. “But that’s as long as they conform to the SBMA’s environmental laws and policies,” Garcia stressed. (Jonas Reyes, Manila Bulletin)

http://www.mb.com.ph/luzon-newsbits-for-september-2-2014/

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Sept 8 deadline set to clear Manila ports

The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) announced that importers and brokers have until September 8 to remove their overstaying customs-cleared cargoes from Manila ports.

Containers that will be left unclaimed after the cited date will be transferred to the ports in Subic and Batangas or any other location designated by the Cabinet Cluster on Port Congestion (CCPC). Cargo owners will shoulder all costs related to the transfer of their containers upon their release.

PPA General Manager Juan Sta. Ana in a statement said that the measure is aimed at further decongesting two Manila ports. He noted that erring importers seem to use the ports as virtual warehouses for their customs-cleared cargoes.

“This will serve as notice to all importers and brokers to withdraw their customs-cleared cargoes from the ports, otherwise, we will immediately transfer these cargoes to any of the said destinations at their own expense,” Sta. Ana said.

He added that the PPA issued notices of the cited measure and published these in different newspapers of general circulation.

“We already identified and reasonably informed the owners of these containers, which varies from big-time to small-time, and we will no longer notify them if they fail to meet the September 8 deadline,” Sta. Ana stressed.

According to the PPA’s inventory, many customs-cleared cargoes and container boxes that are customs-cleared with gate passes are still piled in Manila’s ports.

Customs-cleared containers are boxes that already paid the proper duties and taxes to the Bureau of Customs but have yet to pay the cargo-handling fees. Customs-cleared cargoes with gate passes, meanwhile, are boxes that already paid customs duties and cargo-handling fees but remain stored at the ports.

“Please understand that this is not to punish our importers but only to clear as much space as possible in preparation for the influx of cargoes due to the peak season and reduce pressure on inflation,” Sta. Ana told importers and brokers.

At present, yard utilization at the two Manila ports has jumped back to 90 percent after a long weekend in mid-August.

Productivity at the Manila International Container Terminal is still tallied at 20 moves per hour – a significant improvement from 10 to 12 moves per hour seen two months ago. Meanwhile, productivity at the Manila South Harbor soared to 15 moves per hour from only eight moves per hour two months ago.

The PPA and port operators are also trying to maintain the number of container empties inside the ports to gradually accommodate 20,000 held-up containers in foreign ports.

As of the end of June, the number of laden containers piled at Manila ports numbered 85,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) which occupied about 104 percent of the yards of the ports while empty containers reached a high of 22,000 TEUs.

Importers and other stakeholders blamed the daytime truck ban imposed in Manila from February 24 to the end of May for the congestion of containers in Manila ports.

Meanwhile, the CCPC also continues to appeal to the importers and brokers to take advantage of weekends and holidays in transporting cargo on account of light traffic and looser restrictions.

Last week, the government has shipped out some 1,154 TEUs out of the identified 3,000-TEU customs-problematic containers to the Subic ports and expects to complete the transfer this coming weekend. (Rosalie C. Periabras, Manila Times)

http://www.manilatimes.net/sept-8-deadline-set-clear-manila-ports/123037/

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P14B earmarked for LGUs’ 2015 climate change mitigation programs

The national government has earmarked P14 billion for 2015 to help beef up various climate change mitigation campaigns and programs of local government units (LGUs).

The amount was disclosed by Philippine Climate Change Commissioner Undersecretary Naderev Saño in an interview with the press during the “Hazards and Communicating Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Measures” conference held at Subic Bay Freeport Zone in Zambales recently.

The budget allocation was made under Republic Act 10174, also known as People’s Survival Fund (PSF) Act of 2012, which states that the fund will be sourced from the national treasury to provide assistance to various sectors such as farmers, fishermen, nutrition, infrastructures and those that help in maintaining ecological balance, such as programs to promote disaster-resilient communities, river dredging and rehabilitation, and the construction of bicycle lanes.

Saño, however, said that the Department of Finance (DOF) is currently studying how to obtain funds for the local government, since the budget for survival fund is different from the calamity fund.

“Calamity fund is used after the disaster while the survival fund is a pre-emptive budget intended for climate change mitigation and adaptation,’’ said Saño.

He also said that a PSF board was formed to monitor and supervise LGUs on how or where their funds should be spent.

He added that the board will also ensure that the projects being proposed by the LGUs are important enough to merit the funds.

Organized by the Philippine Information Agency in collaboration with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Luzon-wide confab saw participation from LGUs in Regions 1, 2, and 3; the Cordillera Administrative Region; and the National Capital Region. (Franco G. Regala, Manila Bulletin)

http://www.mb.com.ph/p14b-earmarked-for-lgus-2015-climate-change-mitigation-programs/

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Govt moves to decongest Manila ports as peak season starts

PORT authorities have started to ship out overstaying containers to Subic to partly decongest the ports in Manila in anticipation of the start of the pre-Christmas peak season that is expected to start next week.

The chartered vessel, MV Asterix, left the Manila International Container Terminal (MICT) on Thursday en route to Subic carrying 1,154 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). The vessel is expected to be back in Manila over the weekend to carry the remaining overstaying containers.

The government, through the Bureau of Customs, the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) and port operators International Container Terminal Services Inc. and Asian Terminals Inc., has identified about 3,000 TEUs that can be relocated and is in the process of identifying several more to be moved out of Manila.

“The shipping out of these overstaying containers is only one of the few measures aimed at unclogging the ports before the start of the peak season,” PPA General Manager Juan C. Sta. Ana said. “This will be complemented by the increase in storage fees that will encourage shippers to get their cargoes immediately instead of leaving them inside and use the ports as virtual warehouses.”

“This will enable the port of Manila to have sufficient port space to take in the influx of cargoes needed for the Christmas season, which is expected to come in toward the end of next month,” he added.

The port chief noted that, while the ports will remain a bit congested in terms of yard capacity, the productivity and efficiency of the two Manila ports are slowly returning back to normal in time for the expected spike in cargo volume.

The MICT, the country’s top international gateway, has an annual capacity of 2.5 million TEUs. It has a surplus capacity of more than 1 million TEUs for the year, as it only handled about 1.1 million TEUs thus far.

The Manila South Harbor, operated by Asian Terminals Inc., has an annual capacity of 1.3 million TEUs. It has so far handled 800,000 TEUs and has an excess capacity of about 500,000 TEUs more.

“While it seems that we have a shortage in yard space, it doesn’t mean we don’t have enough capacity. We have the capacity, we just have to work at a slower pace compared to last year,” Sta. Ana explained.

As of the moment, yard utilization at the two Manila ports has returned to 90 percent, brought about by the long weekend. Nonetheless, utilization is expected to go back down to 88 percent at week’s end, after containers being released at the ports continue to climb from 4,200 a day to about 4,400 a day.

Productivity and efficiency at MICT, on the other hand, has already reached 20 moves an hour, a significant improvement from the 10 to 12 moves an hour two months ago, while MSH productivity has jumped to 15 moves an hour from only eight moves an hour during the same period.

The PPA, along with the port operators, meanwhile, is trying to maintain the number of empties inside the ports at 12,000 TEUs as it also slowly takes in the 20,000 containers at foreign ports.

As of end-June, the number of laden containers piled up at the Manila ports totaled 85,000 TEUs, which occupied about 104 percent of the yard of the ports, while the total of empty containers also reached a high of 22,000 TEUs.

The congestion was caused mainly by the daytime truck ban imposed by the city government of Manila from February 24 to end- May of this year, which practically limited the movement of cargoes in and out of the ports during nighttime only. (Lorenz S. Marasigan, BusinessMirror)

http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/index.php/en/news/economy/37889-govt-moves-to-decongest-manila-ports-as-peak-season-starts

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Subic Super Shuttle starts box barging service

The Subic Super Shuttle (S3) service recently began its maiden voyage from Manila to Subic using the MV West Ocean 3.

The vessel, with a 2,749 gross tonnage, discharged 18 containers from the Manila International Container Terminal, all part of Yokohama imports, to Subic Bay’s New Container Terminal 1. Yokohoma’s manufacturing hub is at the nearby Clark freeport zone.

“The concept of the Subic Super Shuttle Service is to provide an immediate alternative in response to the current problems being experienced by everyone at the Manila ports,” Bennedict Navalta, general manager of the PTC Agency and Transport, Inc. (PTCAT), earlier told PortCalls.

PTCAT is the agent of S3’s owner, Subic Super Shuttle Marine Services, Inc.

Navalta described the service as “viable, cost efficient and (an) immediate solution” to issues triggered by the Manila truck ban.

The vessel used for the service can ship 138 twenty-foot-equivalent units (TEUs) between MICT and Subic Bay, and will act as a common feeder for shipping lines serving locators and shippers in and around Northern Luzon.

Navalta said S3 is also looking to alleviate the backlog of empties in container depots within Metro Manila by assisting with their repositioning.

“Carriers can choose to direct empty returns to Subic, utilizing the S3, and then connect the empties to their respective feeders out of Manila,” Navalta said. “The empty return into MICT is with certainty versus the hit-or-miss arrangements with the depots.”

Rates for the service are P20,000 per 20-footer laden and P25,000 per 40-footer laden. For empty boxes, rates are P14,000 per 20-footer and P17,500 per 40-footer.

Manila to Subic calls are scheduled for Tuesdays and Fridays, with the estimated time of arrival in Manila at 12 pm, while the Subic to Manila service is offered Wednesdays and Saturdays with ETA at Subic at 10 am. (PortCalls)

http://www.portcalls.com/subic-super-shuttle-starts-box-barging-service/

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1,800 Manila containers now in Subic

To help ease the growing burden of traffic, this premier Freeport has received some 1,800 shipping containers that were overstaying in the Port of Manila.

Another shipment of containers today from Manila will be delivered by a containerized cargo ship owned by Hanjin Shipping.

The operation, which started last Wednesday, is chartered by the International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) and the Asian Terminals, Inc. (ATI).

These two companies will be transporting these containers that have already been cleared by the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and are overstaying for more than 60 days at the Manila International Container Port (MICP) and the Port of Manila (POM) to Subic Bay Freeport.

MICP and POM, owned by ICTSI and ATI respectively, shouldered the P14 million transport of these containers to Subic Bay Freeport.

The 15-day operation for the Hanjin vessel will complete three trips from Manila to Subic to transport a total of 3,000 containers. (Jonas Reyes, Tempo)

PHOTO:
BUSY PORT - Hauling trucks deliver some of the containers at the New Container Terminal-1 in Subic Bay Freeport. The Manila Port has transferred most of its overstaying cargoes to Subic to help ease the congestion in Manila. (Photo by Jun Dumaguing)

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SBMA projects P1.17 billion in net earnings for 2014

The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) projects net earnings of P1.017 billion by year end, having reached the level of P737.89 million in June 2014 compared to the P992 million total in 2013.

This, as SBMA has again notched impressive financial performance in the first semester of 2014, surpassing even its record-breaking first half performance last year when it turned in a net profit of P1.2 billion, the agency’s highest in its entire 21-year history.

According to the SBMA’s midyear accomplishment report, the state-owned corporation obtained positive results in the first six months of 2014 in all the key results areas like investment generation, customs duties and tax collections, export production, as well as job creation.

In terms of committed investments, the SBMA amassed $267 million in the first six months of 2014, a 400 percent improvement over the $53 million record in the same period the previous year.

Meanwhile, freight-on-board exports rose by 173 percent, with $185,088 million in the first semester 2014 compared to $67,476 million last year; while employment generation managed a 1 percent growth, from 89,436 in 2013 to 90,425 in 2014.

Likewise, cash collections by the Bureau of Customs (BoC) here grew by 44 percent, from P4.945 billion in the first half of 2013 to P7.099 billion in 2014; while taxes collected by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) rose by 25 percent, from P737 million in the first half of 2013 to P919 million in the same period this year.

SBMA officials said the continuing improvement in the agency’s financial performance stemmed from prudent fiscal management over the past few years under the helm of Chairman Roberto Garcia, which successfully implemented various measures to balance the budget and promote a healthier financial condition for the organization.

Records from the SBMA Finance Group indicated that, in particular, port revenues showed an increase of 52 percent in the first half of 2014 to cement a positive financial performance for the Subic Bay Freeport. The port revenues totalled P457.29 million, compared to P300.94 million in the same period last year.

Tourism revenues also grew by 20 percent, from P6.9 million last year to P8.29 million this year, resulting to a 27 percent increase in the SBMA’s total operating revenues that increased from P946.01 million in first half 2013 to 1.198 billion this year.

The agency also posted a 62 percent increase in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA), from P454.10 million to P737.89 million. The increased earnings, officials said, would allow the agency to recoup by the yearend despite a midyear slowdown in net income before tax from P767.27 million in January-June 2013 to P337.26 million this year.

In view of SBMA’s improved fiscal performance, the agency was able to remit P243 million in dividends this year to the National Treasury, the first time it did in more than a decade.

It also released P93.7 million in revenue shares early this month to local government units contiguous to the Subic Bay Freeport, and P14.8 million in rental fees to the Ayta Ambala tribe for the use of parts of their ancestral domain in the Subic Bay Freeport. (HEE/MPD-SBMA)

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