THE PHILIPPINES | Ports and Shipping News

[the glimpser]

The North Harbor Rehabilitaion in Manila has started already!

North Harbor operator to put up new terminal

A new modern passenger terminal will rise at the Manila North Harbor, the country’s busiest domestic seaport, by this time next year, the government said.

The P200-million passenger terminal that would triple the facility’s capacity is part of a larger P4.9-billion two-year expansion program for the privately-run Manila North Harbor.

“The concessionaire will expand the capacity to 3,000 passengers a day. Today, the capacity is only 1,000,” Philippine Ports Authority General Manager Juan Sta. Ana told reporters Monday.

Speaking at the sidelines of President Aquino’s inspection of Manila’s port district Monday, Sta. Ana said the P4.9 billion to be invested by the private concessionaire would be the first phase of the North Harbor’s overall expansion.

The new passenger terminal will be completed by early next year. Construction started last month. The rest of the works under the first phase would be done by the end of 2013.

http://business.inquirer.net/52205/n...p-new-terminal

[the glimpser]

What lures ‘Yachties’ to stay happy in Negros bay

SLOW BOAT TO HAVEN. Boats from all over the world, of all shapes and sizes find refuge in Tambobo Bay in Siaton, Negros Oriental, backdropped by the majesty of mountains. Forested by extensive mangroves, the bay is one hour from the capital Dumaguete City. LYN RILLON

Siaton, Negros Oriental—Michael Prader, a retired artist from Austria, was travelling in Asia in search of the simple life when he heard about the Philippines where “even people in the villages speak English.”

His journey brought him to the Tambobo Bay, a beautiful cove in the quiet town of Siaton in Negros Oriental. With an extensive mangrove forest and a rich marine life, it is an ecological sanctuary situated at the southern end of Negros island, almost facing the Sulu Sea.

He totally fell in love with the place that he lost no time renting a bamboo house to start building his dream boat.

That was 10 years ago.

Now building a second sailboat, Michael, 60, is just one of the many foreign travelers who have found a safe haven in Tambobo and have chosen to live in boats moored in the bay’s still waters.

With the majestic Mt. Talinis and the Cuernos de Negros mountain range for backdrop, it is not surprising that many world travelers have found a home in Tambobo Bay. Schooners, sloops, catboats, sunfish (a type of sailboat), catamarans, ketches and yawls—name it, they can be found in Tambobo.

So comfortable and enchanting is the place that some sailors, finding the exotic girls of their dreams, have settled down and raised a family.

Cruisers are particularly attracted to the cove, an hour’s travel from the capital city of Dumaguete, because it shelters their boats from typhoons.

Couple aboard Pilar

Diane, a graphic artist-designer, and her husband Bill, a forensic geologist in the United States, arrived in Tambobo Bay in 2000 on board a 35-foot Atkins sailboat called “Pilar,” which was named after the heroine in Hemingway’s “For whom the Bell Tolls.”

It took them nine years to launch Pilar and seven more before they left San Francisco, California, in 1991 to see the world. Asked why it took them so long to build Pilar, they said it was because they put more importance to the process of building it together than just sailing it and reaching the goal.

In their sailing adventures, they were able to visit the remote islands of Mangareva, Caroline Island and Kapingamarangi, to name a few. It was while on the Solomon Islands that they learned about Tambobo from other cruisers.

“We were attracted to Tambobo immediately because there are not a lot of places in the world that are safe for boats; even expensive when there’s a marina,” Diane said.

“Here in Tambobo, we can leave our boats because it’s safe. This is not a tourist thing like in the Caribbean or Hawaii; we see Tambobo as our little paradise.”

It turned out to be an extended stay for them in Tambobo. They eventually acquired a small space along the shore which became a studio and workshop.

Like Michael, Diane said she and her husband were enjoying the simple life, including the sheer pleasure of having time to read a book.

One local even asked Diane how the Yachties live and if they have a table in their boat.

Life in a boat

Pilar has a two-cylinder engine, which runs an average of 24 hours on 27 gallons of fuel for 100 nautical miles at five knots. It has berths for four people to sleep on, a toilet and bath, a galley with a sink, an oven, a stove fueled by wood, and a canning machine, 90 gallons of water that could last her a month and a storage for everything.

They have a table but no refrigerator, electric fans, hot water or GPS. “Bill and I are dinosaurs,” Diane jested.

Upon their arrival in Tambobo in 2000, Diane offered to teach one child how to read on weekends. “Then many came,” and the One Candle Schoolhouse was born.

The couple taught the children to translate English storybooks into Cebuano or weave an original story based on a picture storybook.

Bill built a carpentry shop, and began teaching locals how to repair and build boats.

Budget lessons

At first, they had kids aged 5 to 15 years. They would take them to the market to teach them how to budget money; each would be given some amount to buy ingredients for a recipe they were going to cook.

They would also take the kids for a tour of Dumaguete. “We took them to the bookstore, an Internet cafe, an art show along the boulevard, and took them for a ride on the escalator at the local store.”

Other cruisers volunteered to teach the children sailing, pottery or painting or donate good-quality musical instruments.

Others would drive their motorbikes from their home in Dumaguete or Valencia to Tambobo twice a week to teach the children literature or computer applications like Photoshop and Excel.

“I feel good simply being with the local residents of Tambobo because I feel that we’re all connected, and that we can help each other to get better together,” Diane said. “Being in a community like Tambobo puts depth in my life.”

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/176881/...-in-negros-bay

[the glimpser]

Construction of North Harbor terminal starts

The construction of a new passenger terminal at the Manila North Harbor, the country’s busiest domestic port, started this week as the government seeks to modernize sea travel.

North Harbor’s private sector operator, Manila North Harbour Port Inc. (MNHPI), on Monday broke ground for the new terminal building that will cost P200 million to put up.

The North port passenger terminal building (PTB), to be constructed on a 11,600-square-meter area between Pier 4 and 6, will accommodate 2,000 passengers at any given time.

The facility will have an organized ticketing area, concession stands and space for passenger drop-offs.

The terminal building complex is expected to be fully operational by the first quarter of 2013, said transportation and communications department spokesman Nicasio Conti.

http://business.inquirer.net/64837/c...erminal-starts

[the glimpser]

BoI approves P684M Aviva logistics project

The Board of Investments (BoI) has approved the P684-million shipping project of local firm Aviva Shipping Corp. in Surigao, as this is expected to further boost the country’s transportation infrastructure investments in Mindanao.

Trade Undersecretary and BoI Managing Head Adrian S. Cristobal Jr. stressed in a statement the need to improve logistics facilities to make the country more competitive and the domestic supply chain activities more efficient and seamless.

According to Cristobal, the Aviva shipping project involves domestic shipping operations for landing craft transport (LCT) vessels.

More specifically, the project includes the acquisition of six LCT vessels, which will have combined cargo capacity of 14,645 deadweight tonnage (DWT) and 9,552 gross tonnage, that could be used for shallow waters and roll-on roll-off (Ro-Ro) cargo operations.

Aviva, a registered and accredited Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) firm, will likewise help facilitate transport of mineral products from mining companies operating in Surigao.

http://business.inquirer.net/61579/b...istics-project

[the glimpser]

Legazpi City SeaPort Terminal

Originally Posted by panganuron23

Legazpi City SeaPort Terminal



[IMG]http://i39.************/2czvcl2.png[/IMG]



Construction Updates

credits to the photographers. (March 2012)


credits to the photographers

[the glimpser]

$450M deal ends Hanjin’s order drought

HANJIN Heavy Industries & Construction (HHIC)-Phil, the local unit of the Korean shipbuilding giant, has won an order to build 10 mid-size container ships worth $450 million at its Subic shipyard, the first bid won by the company since last year.

HHIC-Phil’s Subic Shipyard said it signed a contract with European shipowners to build the ships, which will be capable of carrying 5,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) of container.

This is the first bid won by the company since last year as the debt crisis in Europe and budget problems in the United States, the world’s two biggest export markets, led to weak global trade that softened demand for shipping.

Shipowners have had to idle capacity or cancel newbuilding orders as freight rates fell to record lows in the past two years amid the demand slowdown, worsened by soaring oil prices and oversupply as vessels previously ordered were delivered.

HHIC said that despite the impact of the financial crisis in the West, the company moved to improve its management and performance, which paved way for the success of the bid.

HHIC-Phil said its latest contract involves building state-of-the-art container vessels adopting the eco-design technology. The ship dimensions are 255 meters in length, 37m in width and 22m in depth, and with a maximum speed of 21.5 knots.

http://www.malaya.com.ph/index.php/b...-order-drought

[hakz2007]

P-Noy inaugurates $200-M port facility in Manila

Manila, Philippines - President Aquino yesterday inaugurated the $200-million newly constructed port facility of the International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) at the Manila International Container Terminal (MICT) in Manila.

Aquino led officials, employees and guests of ICTSI led by its president Enrique Razon Jr. in pouring champagne over the facility’s marker, formally opening the ICTSI Berth 6’s operations to the public.

Berth 6 adds 300 meters of additional port area and 12 hectares of container storage space to the existing facility, thereby expanding operations and services at MICT from 1.9-million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), a measure used for capacity in container transportation, to 2.5-million TEUs.

Read more

[the glimpser]

Tsuneishi Shipyard
Cebu, Philippines

Originally Posted by RonnieR

PH shipbuilding industry is booming. PH is the 4th shipbuilding country in the world.

Aging Japan-Chinese Workers Drive Jobs to Southeast Asia
By Karl Lester M. Yap, Keiko Ujikane and Shamim Adam - Jul 23, 2012 5:49 PM GMT+0800

Jose Winylito Tanquis has reason to be proud as he raises a flag to signal the launch of the 58,000- ton “Ocean Symphony” in the Philippines. Not only did he help build the cargo vessel, his son John now works at the yard.

“Now, he can buy his own stuff, like shoes and clothes,” said Tanquis, 47, a foreman at Tsuneishi Holdings Inc.’s yard in Balamban on Cebu Island. At 21, John is the eldest of six siblings who will enter the workforce in the next decade.

The so-called demographic dividend from a rising supply of young workers is one reason Japan’s second-largest shipbuilder expanded in the Philippines, where workers are on average half the age of its Japanese employees. Tsuneishi is considering Indonesia, the Philippines and Myanmar for another shipyard, said Hitoshi Kono, chief of the company’s local operation.

Workers walk along a pier at the Tsuneishi Holdings Inc. shipyard following a ceremony to launch a bulk carrier in Cebu, the Philippines.


Confetti and streamers are scattered during a ceremony to launch a bulk carrier at the Tsuneishi Holdings Inc. shipyard in Cebu, the Philippines.


Workers labor on a vessel component at the Tsuneishi Holdings Inc. shipyard in Cebu, the Philippines.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-0...east-asia.html

[the glimpser]

Austal is setting up shop in the Philippines!

Australian boat builder transfers manufacturing center to PH

Australian military and commercial boat builder Austal has chosen the Philippines as the future center of its global manufacturing operations, taking advantage of competitive labor costs that do not sacrifice the quality of work.

The company, which leads globally in the production of high-speed catamarans, said it would soon start exporting state-of-the-art vessels out of its newly acquired facility in Balamban, Cebu.
“We chose the Philippines because of its high level of growth, the English-speaking population that has the right skill set and work ethic, and the country’s location is also an obvious take-off point for our Asian-centric expansion,” Bellamy said.

Among the notable ships the company has delivered are the passenger ferries used for trips between the Chinese cities of Macau and Hong Kong.

The company also has car and passenger vessels operating inter-island routes in Greece
.
The company has about 200 employees working in Balamban, with a firm plan to hire 150 more people. Being built in Balamban today is a 27-meter three-hull trimaran—the first of its kind Austal has ever built—that will be used by wind-farm operators in Europe.

http://business.inquirer.net/73513/a...g-center-to-ph

Originally Posted by diehardbisdak

...more jobs for the Cebuanos!


pic from www.seek.com.au

[Huskies37]

[the glimpser]

DOTC to bid out P246-M project to upgrade lighthouses

MANILA, Philippines–Lighthouses across the country are set for upgrades as part of government efforts to make inter-island sea traffic in the Philippines safer and more convenient for travellers.

In a statement, the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) said it was bidding out P246 million worth of lighthouse equipment, a project that will modernize 143 light stations in different parts of the country.

On top of the purchase list are the 55 primary light-emitting diode (LED) lanterns, each of which should have a luminous range reaching at least 18 nautical miles. Also to be procured are 84 secondary LED lanterns, which should have a luminous range of 15 nautical miles.

Additional five units of tertiary LED lanterns, with a range of seven nautical miles, are also included in the procure ment. In addition, 120 units of mono crystalline solar panel to power the LED lanterns will be bid out.

The DOTC said areas in Luzon that would get new equipment were Batanes, Aurora, Cagayan, Isabela, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Pangasinan, La Union, Zambales, Bataan, Bulacan, Cavite, Rizal, Quezon, Batangas, Occidental Mindoro, Romblon, Palawan, Catanduanes, Albay, Masbate and Sorsogon.

Lighthouses to be upgraded in the Visayas are those in Antique, Bohol, Siquijor, Negros Oriental, Cebu, Eastern Samar, Northern Samar, Western Samar, Northern Leyte, and Southern Leyte.

Meanwhile, In Mindanao, the beneficiaries are Pagadian City, Tawi Tawi, Zamboanga Del Sur, Siargao, Surigao del Norte, Zamboanga del Norte, Catarman, Samal, Surigao del Sur, Davao Oriental, Saranggani, Davao and South Cotabato.

http://business.inquirer.net/74939/d...de-lighthouses

Originally Posted by william :D

Apo Reef Lighthouse
Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro

image hosted on flickr


image hosted on flickr


Shadow
image hosted on flickr

photo credits to the owner.

more picture on this thread

[the glimpser]

Local port operator ICTSI recently bagged a port project in Nigeria, their second in Africa.

ICTSI bags deal to run major Nigeria terminal

Port operator International Container Terminal Services Inc. has bagged a new contract to develop and run a major container terminal in Nigeria’s Lagos Free Trade Zone that is expected to be the largest terminal in sub-Saharan Africa once operational in 2016.

ICTSI is expected to invest over $225 million in this project, thus raising its stake in Africa. The Philippine company currently has operations in Madagascar, making Nigeria its second market in the region.

In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange on Friday, ICTSI said it had signed a sub-concession agreement with Lekki Port LFTZ (LPLE) for a container terminal at a deep water port in Ibeju Lekki, Lagos also called Tolaram Port@Lekki, which is envisioned to be a world class, modern multi-purpose port that will serve not only Nigeria but also its neighboring countries.

With a quay of 1,200 meters, this modern facility is expected to become the largest single terminal in sub-Saharan Africa.

ICTSI is a leading port management company involved in the operations and development of 24 marine terminals and port projects in 17 countries. It was among the first international terminal operators to expand globally, establishing a good track record in various economies privatizing port operations.

http://business.inquirer.net/76123/i...geria-terminal

[brick84]

AUSTAL, in use between Malta and Sicily.
Very nice.


[IMG]http://i56.************/oobdl.jpg[/IMG]
(port of Pozzallo, Sicily)

[the glimpser]

Thanks!

...Meanwhile, news on Batangas Port, the Philippine's largest seaport, about 2 hours by land from Manila:

Originally Posted by probinsyano

Batangas Port to become distribution Hub for Automotive Trade in the Country

Batangas Port, the country’s largest seaport, is preparing to become Distribution Hub for Automotive Trade following the modernization of its Car-handling services that allow them to handle a greater number of automotive..

Batangas port, operated by ATI, is now capable of handling cars with throughput capacity of up to 43,000 CBUs, making the Country’s largest vehicle-handling hub ports, is set to surpass last year's record….

Recently, the Port of Batangas handling Cars from Toyota Philippines Inc. with more than 200 CBUs, including the newest Toyota's High end cars which are soon to hit the roads across the Philippines.…Here’s the report…





source

[the glimpser]

DOTC seeking bids for seaport improvements

The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) again has issued invitations for private firms to participate in various projects around the country worth a total of half a billion pesos.

The DOTC, through the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), on Friday said it would bid out contracts for the improvement of 10 provincial seaports estimated at P474 million.

“The PPA intends to … improve 10 ports in the country in anticipation of their increased passenger and cargo throughput,” the DOTC said in its invitation for bidders published in local newspapers.

Bulk of the funds, or about P230 million, will be used to improve the Port of Zamboanga in Zamboanga del Sur. New wharves as well two roll-on, roll-off ramps will be constructed at the port.

Also, the Port of Masbate in Bicol will get P71 million for the construction of a new wharf, the installation of rubber dock fenders to accommodate bigger vessels, and other “furnishing accessories.”

Ports in Cagayan de Oro, Iligan City, Ozamiz City, Albay, two ports in Roxas City and two ports in Iloilo—all operated by the PPA—are also up for improvement.

Each port project will be auctioned off separately. A pre-bid conference will be held on September 27 to clarify queries from interested parties. Work on each project is expected to be completed in less than a year.

http://business.inquirer.net/80932/d...t-improvements

[the glimpser]

More on International Container Terminal Services Inc (ICTSI)...

[the glimpser]

An internationally-reknowned local boat builder, Ces Craft

CES CRAFT PHILIPPINES

Originally Posted by jpdm

http://business.inquirer.net/files/2...iling-boat.jpg

[B][SIZE="2"][COLOR="Sienna"]A Philippine-made catamaran sailing yacht made by Ces Craft Philippines.

CES CRAFT PHILIPPINES started as a single proprietorship company way-back 1957. Its reputation as one of the premier and dominant boat-builders in the country was galvanized after entries made by the company started winning international powerboat races in various parts of the world. Clients from the United Arab Emirates, Australia, Japan, Singapore and the USA came to know CIRILO SALILICAN / CES CRAFT and ordered boats of various sizes and classification.

http://www.boatshopmanila.com/aboutus.html

[the glimpser]

Hanjin delivers 2 vessels to Rio Tinto

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT—Korean shipbuilding firm Hanjin has delivered two newly built bulk carriers to a multinational client at the company’s 300-hectare shipyard here recently.

Taek Yun Yoo, general manager of the Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction Co. Ltd-Philippines Inc. (HHIC-Philippines), said the vessels RTM Dampier and RTM Zheng He, which were named after a British explorer and a Chinese navigator, respectively, were bought by Rio Tinto Shipping Limited from the firm.

RTM Dampier and RTM Zheng He, whose home port is London, measure 299.9 meters and are valued $60 million each.

With these two new ships, HHIC-Philippines has already delivered a total of 42 vessels ranging from container ships and oil tankers to bulk carriers to various international shipping companies since the delivery of its first vessel made in its Subic shipyard in 2008. From 2008 to 2011, HHIC-Philippines posted P128 billion worth of export sales, making it a major contributor to the Philippines’ export portfolio.

http://business.inquirer.net/89272/h...s-to-rio-tinto

[the glimpser]

Ship repair facility to rise in Navotas

MANILA - The Board of Investment (BOI) has approved the grant of tax and other perks to a company that will spend P259 million for the establishment of a ship repair facility in Navotas City.

Nautilus Shipyard and Repair Inc's upcoming facility at the Navotas Fish Port Complex will have an annual capacity of 96 vessels as well as a minimum berthing capacity of 7,500 deadweight tons.

Once operations start in June next year, the repair facility will use standard marine travel lift equipment that can service vessels up to 45-feet wide and having 600-tons capacity.

The country is regarded as the world's fourth biggest shipbuilder, as leading firms such as Japan's Tsuneishi, Singapore's Keppel and South Korea's Hanjin have existing shipyards in Batangas, Cebu and Subic, respectively. These companies build ships with large tonnage capacities such as bulk carriers, container ships and passenger ferries.

http://www.interaksyon.com/business/...ise-in-navotas

[the glimpser]

Originally Posted by skyscraper2012

ICTSI raises stake in Pakistan port operator
Posted on December 19, 2012 10:10:43 PM
http://www.bworldonline.com/content....rator&id=63208

Tycoon Enrique Razon's International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) has further hiked its stake in a Pakistan-based port operator.

ICTSI, through its unit ICTSI Mauritius Ltd., bought an additional 6.82 million shares in Pakistan International Container Terminal Ltd. (PICT), representing 6.25% of the latter’s issued capital.

“This transaction will bring ICTSIML’s (ICTSI Mauritius) direct and indirect ownership in PICT to 47.88%,” the disclosure read.

It operates a container cargo terminal located at Karachi Port in Pakistan with maximum handling capacity of 750,000 twenty-foot equivalent container units.

Aside from the Philippines and Pakistan, ICTSI also has operations in Argentina, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Brunei Darussalam, Cayman Islands, China, Colombia, Croatia, Ecuador, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mexico, Panama, Poland, Singapore, South Africa, Syria, The Netherlands, United Arab Emirates, United States, Uruguay and Venezuela.

Locally, ICTSI operates Manila International Container Terminal, the country’s primary maritime gateway, along with other ports in Subic Freeport Zone and in Mindanao.

ICTSI grew its net income by 5.02% to $106.7 million as of September from $101.6 million in the same nine months last year on higher volume of cargo.

Shares of ICSTI added P2.4 or 3.44% to P72.10 apiece yesterday from P69.70 on Tuesday. -- C. H. C. Venzon

In Bulacan, reviving a lighthouse

HAGONOY, Bulacan—An island village along the coast here should get some bright Christmas cheer, courtesy of an 80-year-old lighthouse that is being repaired after seven years of being idle in time for the start of simbang gabi on Dec. 16.

Damages to the lighthouse had kept fishermen of Barangay (village) Pugad in the dark since 2005, after the facility’s worn-out electrical system broke down.

The Sigla Movement of the Philippines (SMP) is facilitating the lighthouse’s revival. SMP Bulacan chapter president Grossman Dax-Uy, a Hagonoy native who has been living in Mindanao, arrived here last week with experts to inspect the damage and to bring out the sections of the lighthouse that needed repair work.


VOLUNTEERS are helping bring this lighthouse, idled by damages for seven years, back to life. COURTESY OF Grossmasn Dax-Uy

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/323203/...g-a-lighthouse