SUBIC BAY FREEPORT—SITC International Holdings Co. Ltd., a leading intra-Asia shipping logistics company, has opened a new shipping service directly connecting the Subic Bay Freeport to China and Japan, two of the biggest economies in the Asian region.
Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman Roberto Garcia said the shipping line launched the new route with the maiden voyage of MV Sicilia, a container ship that recently and unloaded its cargoes at the New Container Terminal 2 here. Garcia said the arrival of Sicilia “may be a precursor of more good times to come,” adding that within the next two weeks or so, more ships will be coming to unload at Subic.
The 927-ton Liberian-flagged Sicilia is owned by China-based SITC Container Lines Philippines Inc. With a crew of 21 and skippered by Capt. Penev Deyan Penko, the vessel sailed from Xiamen, China to Manila and then Subic Bay where it unloaded 22 cargo containers from Guangxi, Sichuan and Shanghai, all in China.
The cargoes were destined for Orica Philippines in Limay, Bataan; Nestle Philippines Inc. in Cabuyao, Laguna; and Manila World Transport Inc. in Metro Manila, respectively.
SITC’s new service line also brings its cargo ships via the Hakata-Shanghai-Xiamen-Manila-Subic-Xiamen-Shanghai-Busan-Hakata route, thus providing Subic a direct link to China and Japan. The SBMA said with this new route, SITC, along with American President Lines and Wan Hai, became the third major shipping line to regularly make a port call in Subic on a weekly basis. SBMA Seaport Department General Manager Jerome Martinez said that aside from MV Sicilia, three more foreign container ships will be arriving in Subic direct from their ports of origin.
“They are not vessels diverted from the Port of Manila as a result of port congestion. They really are to come to Subic as part of their itinerary,” Martinez said.
Garcia earlier said another shipping company, the NYK, is seriously thinking of establishing a Subic-Singapore route. He said this would further give Subic access to and from the other major ports in the region.
Garcia said the opening of new shipping routes to Subic is expected to boost cargo traffic to Subic and enhance the use of the New Container Terminal, which boasts of a capacity of 600,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs).
With growing container traffic, Subic expects an inflow of 70,000 TEUs this year, compared to the 38,000 TEUs it recorded last year, he added. Garcia said the SBMA is preparing for more cargo traffic because aside from Manila, other major Asian ports like Shanghai, Hong Kong and Singapore are also congested now.
Because of the expected growth in container traffic here, the SBMA recently hosted a “Traffic Safety Forum,” which aimed to find ways to prevent traffic buildup along the main route taken by cargo trucks.
“Let us all cross our fingers that things turn out for the best for Subic,” Garcia said, stressing that Subic is the only port on the Western seaboard of the Philippines that now has the capacity to accept a great volume of containers.
He added that if Subic gets congested because of heavy container traffic, it will be a “happy problem” for the SBMA.