30 January 2024 (Lloyd's List) - PHILIPPINES-based smaller container ports specialist International Container Terminal Services has been awarded a 25-year concession by the Philippine Ports Authority to develop and operate the Iloilo Commercial Port Complex in the country's Western Visayas region.

ICTSI had submitted a proposal in 2019 for a Peso8.7bn ($154m) plan to redevelop the strategically located but ageing port, which is a critical gateway for trade in the Western Visayas.

The facility will be renamed Visayas Container Terminal after ICTSI takes over. Development will focus on improving terminal productivity and service quality by investing in the development and rehabilitation of the terminal infrastructure and the deployment of cargo-handling equipment, the company said in a press release.

VCT has 627 metres of operational quay length and 20 hectares of land for container and general cargo storage, warehousing, and other cargo-handling activities. 

The sub-1m teu port is one of the safest in the Philippines, with a natural harbour set in the lee of large Guimaras Island shielding it from the region's notorious typhoons.

ICTSI previously said it will invest in dredging and deepening of the navigation channel to allow the direct entry of new generation, international vessels and purchase of modern quayside crane handling equipment.

ICTSI executive vice president Christian Gonzalez said: "We are elated and grateful to be entrusted with the redevelopment of the Iloilo Port." 

He added: "Our comprehensive proposal outlines significant investments in infrastructure upgrades, cargo-handling equipment, and operational efficiency measures, all aimed at transforming the Iloilo Port into a premier gateway."

ICTSI operates flagship container terminals in Manila and Subic Bay on the main Luzon island, as well as Mindanao in the south of the archipelago.

Meanwhile, a government-led plan to develop the greenfield New Cebu International Container Port in nearby Cebu to help alleviate some of the congestion at the existing port that handles most of the regional volumes, has been beset by delays and has yet to gain construction approval.