Operators of Manila ports are implementing a new vehicle-appointment system in anticipation of increased cargo movements starting October, with the goal of preventing a repeat of the logjam that disrupted operations at the sea gateways last year.
The implementation of the Terminal Appointment Booking System (TABS) in the country’s main seaports was firmed up at the meeting of private and public stakeholders on Thursday. The discussion centered on the foreseen pickup in trade activity in the last quarter of the year.
Officials of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza), the Department of Trade and Industry Cabinet Secretary Jose Rene D. Almendras and representatives of the port operators were present during the meeting.
According to a Peza official, it was agreed during the meeting that a vehicle-appointment system affecting all companies using Manila’s ports be put in place. The TABS is aimed at easing traffic flow along roads leading to the country’s main sea gateways by only accommodating previously booked pickups by trucks.
The practice is also in line with international practice, the Peza official said. It will be implemented round-the-clock.
“We hope it will be more efficient; 80 percent of the volume that goes through the ports are from Peza so we will be affected,” the Peza official added. Specific details will still be threshed out in further meetings, the official said.
International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI), operator of the Manila International Container Terminal (MICT), said in a statement the port has already soft-launched the project ahead of the expected surge in economic activity, as shipments increase in preparation for the holiday season.
The TABS will address the current unpredictable surge in the truck traffic by scheduling the time slots for container pickup and drop-offs. Truckers can increase their trips per day, cargo owners can move their goods more promptly and terminals can allocate resources more efficiently due to the predictable volume and schedule.
The ICTSI said with the system in place, the Manila port community should expect more organized truck movement and experience a managed and consistent flow of trucks the entire day.
The TABS is an electronic platform for booking containers in the two international ports of Manila.
Designed to facilitate the entry and exit of containerized cargo, to and from MICT, the TABS was developed in response to restrictive road policies that were introduced to combat the congestion of Manila ports in 2014 as a result of the truck ban imposed by the Manila City government.