The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) on September 2 returned 16 containers sent to Subic Port from Manila ports after these were found to emit a foul smell or had a leak of an unidentified substance.
SBMA chairman Roberto Garcia said the 16 containers were among 721 Customs-seized boxes shipped on August 29. The transfer of overstaying containers from Manila ports to Subic is one of the government’s measures to decongest Manila’s ports.
“We found containers that have a foul smell,” Garcia said in a press briefing on September 1. “We don’t accept such containers here in Subic so we have to return these to Manila.”
The 16 containers originated from the Manila International Container Terminal (MICT) and were unloaded from M/V Asterix at Subic’s New Container Terminal 2. The vessel was chartered to carry part of the 3,000 Customs-seized overstaying containers to Subic to free up space in Manila ports.
Of the 16 containers, 14 emitted a foul smell and the rest leaked with an unidentified substance.
Garcia said they could not identify contents of the containers because they did not have the required documents and their contents were not clearly described by the shipper.
“Perhaps because of the urgency to transfer these containers to Subic, these were just loaded on the ship without an inspection,” Garcia added.
The containers were shipped back to Manila via the Subic Super Shuttle (S3) on September 2.
The S3 service can transport 138 twenty-foot containers between MICT and Subic Bay, and was recently launched as a common feeder for shipping lines serving locators and shippers in and around Northern Luzon.
Garcia said he will now require Manila port officials or agencies concerned to declare detailed contents of the containers to prevent the entry of potential rejects.
“The national government is really looking to Subic to solve this problem because Subic has the capacity to accommodate these containers, but we will make sure they conform to our standards,” Garcia stated.
To further decongest ports of Manila, the government has given importers until September 8 to pull out their Customs-cleared but overstaying cargoes; otherwise these will be transferred to other locations such as Batangas and Subic at the consignee’s expense.
