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The PHIVIDEC Industrial Authority and the Philippine Coast Guard are eyeing a new vessel traffic management system at Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental
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A memorandum of agreement between the two parties signed on March 28 renews the expired MOA signed in 2009
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The new MOA seeks to replace PHIVIDEC-IA’s obsolete VTMS and provide the PCG with billeting and berthing facilities in PHIVIDEC Industrial Estate-Misamis Oriental
The PHIVIDEC Industrial Authority (PHIVIDEC-IA) and Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) are eyeing a new vessel traffic management system (VTMS) at Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental.
A memorandum of agreement signed by both parties on March 28 seeks to enhance vessel traffic monitoring and prevent collisions at Macajalar Bay. It includes providing PCG with billeting and berthing facilities in PHIVIDEC Industrial Estate-Misamis Oriental (PIE-MO).
The first partnership was signed by both parties in 2009.
The signing follows the PHIVIDEC-IA’s Board’s resolution on November 14, 2024 authorizing negotiations and execution of the MOA.
PHIVIDEC-IA said the new VTMS installation will strengthen maritime safety and security to support Northern Mindanao’s economy.
The partnership is expected to improve maritime security, and reduce risks of smuggling, piracy, and unauthorized activities, as well as enhance disaster preparedness and coordinated emergency response.
It will also streamline vessel traffic management and safer navigation within Macajalar Bay, provide real-time vessel data to improve port efficiency and stakeholder coordination, and strengthen enforcement of environmental regulations, promoting marine sustainability.
Moreover, the new facility “will be of great advantage to the entire industrial zone in preparation for the MCT [Mindanao Container Terminal] expansion, attracting international shipping lines as well as new and potential investors,” said PHIVIDEC-IA in a statement.
MCT operator Mindanao International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (MICTSI) earlier said it plans to invest more than $100 million to extend the terminal’s berth from the current 300 meters to 600 meters, build other support infrastructure, and purchase additional equipment to significantly increase capacity from its present 350,000 twenty-foot equivalent units.
READ: Phividec pushes Mindanao Container Terminal berth expansion
PHIVIDEC-IA said the expansion project will address the need to expand the terminal’s current container volume handling capacity or utilization rate, which reached maximum capacity in 2020.
PHIVIDEC-IA also extended for another 25 years, or until 2058, MICTSI’s concession term to operate and manage MCT.
