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Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority is aiming to turn Subic port into a transshipment hub for brand-new vehicles
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At least three shipments per quarter are eyed
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With dedicated piers designed to accommodate vehicles, the port can accommodate 6,000 standard SUVs currently
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SBMA is reviewing its fees to make Subic port competitive with Asian hubs Singapore, Hong Kong, and Malaysia
Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) is positioning Subic port as a transshipment hub for brand-new vehicles, aiming to handle at least three shipments every quarter.
SBMA senior deputy administrator for operations Ronnie Yambao in a phone interview told PortCalls Subic port’s rate is “competitively priced compared with other ports in the country”.
But in order to make it competitive against other Asian hubs such as Singapore, Hong Kong, and Malaysia, the port management is reviewing port fees. The review will be finalized within the year.
READ: Subic reviews port fees to attract transshipments
Subic port has dedicated piers designed to accommodate vehicles. Currently it can handle 6,000 standard SUVs in its five-hectare yard. Newly upgraded CCTVs encircle the facility.
In September 2022, 2,984 units of brand-new vehicles from China were unloaded in Subic port for transshipment to Chile.
Yambao said port officials have already asked shippers and ship agents to consider Subic port as a transshipment hub.
Aside from vehicles for transshipment, Subic welcomes imported vehicles for the domestic market, he said.
SBMA chairman and administrator Rolen Paulino earlier said other Subic Bay Freeport piers are being considered as berthing facilities for multiple industries in support of Subic port’s ambition as a transshipment hub.
Paulino said the outlook for Subic port is gaining momentum and would likely trample last year’s record, as the hub produced revenue of P1.146 billion in January-September 2022, up 14% from the P1 billion it posted for the same period last year.
READ: SBMA’s Jan-Sept port take up 14% to P1.14B
“The hit rate for our key performance indicators are around 90%, with only containerized cargo volume lagging, but I am sure that the agency will hit the mark before the year ends,” he said.
Subic port recorded double-digit increases in ship calls and non-containerized cargo volume for the first nine months of the year while containerized cargo throughput declined 1%. – Roumina Pablo
