ATI to expand services with new Batangas Container Terminal

Asian Terminals Inc. (ATI) will begin providing integrated ports and logistics services at the Batangas Container Terminal (BCT) of the Port of Batangas now that all infrastructure and systems are in place, the port operator said at the recent Ports and Shipping Conference of the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA). The Port of Batangas is managed by ATI subsidiary ATI Batangas. The new container terminal makes the port a hub for containerized and general cargoes as well as inter-island roll-on/roll-off ferries (ro-ros), the company said in a statement. ATI also said that the terminal's being within five to 70 kilometers of Calabarzon's industrial zones area allows trucks to make multiple trips to and from the terminal 24/7 as Batangas has no truck ban. The BCT is also directly linked to the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR toll way) and the South Luzon expressway for more convenient port-to-factory deliveries. Business locators shipping through the Batangas Port also receive discounts on port dues from the PPA and other incentives from the Philippine Economic Zone Authority. The 12-hectare BCT has an annual throughput capacity of 300,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units). Its facilities include two quay-side cranes, four rubber-tired gantries, and trucks and loaders. — BM, GMA News