THE Razon-led International Container Terminal Services Inc., the country’s largest port operator, said it has rolled out at its flagship port, the Manila International Container Terminal (MICT), a system that hopes to minimize traffic buildup near its facilities.
The new system, called TABS, or short for Terminal Appointment Booking System, is an electronic platform for booking containers at the MICT and other international ports in Manila, where most of the country’s cargoes are being handled.
“TABS was specifically developed to minimize road traffic and prevent container buildups, especially with the approach of the holiday season,” the ICTSI said in a statement.
TABS was created through the collaboration of the Philippine supply-chain stakeholders and Australia’s 1-Stop Connections Pty. Ltd.
“The new system will ensure a more organized flow of containerized cargoes in and out of the MICT while providing real-time information on container status,” it said.
The MICT is the country’s largest container terminal.
The ICTSI said that booking an appointment can be done through three steps. Port users need to log in and upload their container details in the system. They then have to search for available booking slots within the given time zones, with users having 15 minutes to select their desired zones for each container.
Once all the details have been reviewed and finalized, users can then proceed to confirm their appointment.
“Booked slots further facilitate service levels and eliminate truck queues because the container terminal controls the flow of trucks to and from the terminal. This eliminates the current peaks created by road congestion, truck bans and other external factors, while giving importers and exporters a transparent view of when their trucks are meant to process transactions,” it said.
Three days prior to the launch, done earlier this week, the ICTSI conducted a two-day training to introduce port users to the functionalities and features of the system, was also soft-launched for select user groups early in September for pilot testing.
“With container volume expected to increase heading into the Christmas season, TABS’s implementation addresses the unpredictable surge of trucks that ply the city’s roads,” the ICTSI said.