ATI mulls closure of inland clearance depot

MANILA, Philippines - Port operator Asian Terminals Inc. (ATI) is considering the shutdown of its inland clearance depot (ICD) amid poor performance over the past few years.

ATI, in a report submitted to the Philippine Stock Exchange, said it would discontinue the operations of the ICD should management fail to improve its performance this year.

The port operator said the company’s management and board of directors have decided that the operations of the facility would be discontinued if the performance of the ICD does not improve in 2014.

The ICD was established pursuant to Customs Memorandum Order 11-97 and designated as an extension of the Port of Manila and as a customs bonded facility. It permits the immediate transfer of cargoes while still being cleared by Customs in Manila and at the same time provides savings in storage charges and efficient just-in-time delivery for clients in the Calabarzon area.

ATI, through the ICD, provides storage, trucking, just-in-time delivery, brokerage and maintenance and repair services for its clients. ICD spans 4.5 hectares and has an annual capacity of 100,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs).

The ICD also serves as an empty container depot for shipping lines such as NYK, Maersk Line and OOCL, providing greater operational efficiency and minimizes locators’ costs.

It is an all-weather concrete paved container yard located in Calamba, Laguna. Its strategic location along the South Luzon Expressway makes ICD an ideal supply-chain link to industrial estates and economic zones south of Metro Manila with the progressive ports of Manila and Batangas.

The ICD presents a superior alternative to other Customs bonded warehouses because of its direct operational link with the South Harbor Container Terminal and the Port of Batangas.

From the port, containers are transported directly to the ICD on board trucks equipped with the vehicle tracking system (VTS) which relies on global positioning satellite (GPS) technology.

ATI has earmarked P2.2 billion this year to undertake its most aggressive investment program in over two decades, particularly for the South Harbor in Manila and the Port of Batangas.

ATI manages and operates the South Harbor as well as the ICD in Manila, Port of Batangas, Batangas Container Terminal and Batangas Supply Base.