ICTSI unit opens link to Asia, Middle East

MANILA, Philippines — Richmond MercurioInternational Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) subsidiary Mindanao Container Terminal (MCT) has welcomed a new service linking the southern Philippines to Asia and the Middle East.

ICTSI said a fixed-day weekly service, which was launched in the country through Regional Container Line (RCL)’s Southern Philippine agent Eagle Express Lines, made its first port call to MCT last month.

The service is operated by two vessels and covers the Singapore–Cebu–Cagayan–Singapore route.

“The vessels turn in Singapore, which serves as a transshipment hub and provides competitive connections from Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, and Zamboanga to other Southeast Asian markets, the Indian subcontinent and the Middle East, while additionally serving the markets further north such as China and South Korea,” ICTSI said.

MCT general manager Roberto Locsin said the regular service calls could be considered as a product superhighway that would aid farmers, manufacturers, and other producers in the country.

Locsin said these would enable producers to deliver time-sensitive commodities fast and in-bulk without the huge cost.

“Now more than ever, local businesses need help to bounce back, and the new service line will undoubtedly give them the boost they need,” he said.

Headquartered in Thailand, RCL owns and operates 46 container vessels covering more than 66 destinations in Asia, India, India subcontinent, and the Middle East. The company has been operating in the Philippines for 32 years.

Jose Gabriel la Viña, PHIVIDEC Industrial Estate administrator and CEO, is optimistic about the growth potential of the new carrier service.

“For the City of Cagayan de Oro and the rest of Misamis Oriental, the new service strengthens our position as a major agro-industrial exporter.  The availability of a regular and predictable service to a major international hub also presents opportunities for entrepreneurs and industries to move up the value chain.  This could only mean higher incomes, more jobs, and more comfortable life for our people,” he said.

MCT operates the port terminal at the PHIVIDEC Industrial Estate in Misamis Oriental, which serves as a transshipment hub connecting Northern Mindanao to the Visayas and other parts of the country.

The company handles international and domestic cargo and offers container handling, yard management, reefer monitoring, and water bunkering among other port services.