SBMA Chairman Martin Diño said utilizing the benefits of the co-loading law will help increase the country’s exporters and importers’ competitiveness as they face a more dynamic trading business.
“The co-loading law will allow ships calling to one destination to load or unload goods to another domestic port. This scheme is seen to help businesses cut their costs and save time,” he said.
The co-loading law was signed in June, 2015 and was known as Republic Act No. 10668, an act allowing foreign vessels to transport and co-load foreign cargoes for domestic transhipment and for other purposes.
Currently, there are two shipping lines calling in Subic Bay that has availed of the benefits of the co-loading law.
“We hope that more shipping lines will use this advantage. This is not only for the businesses but also for the end consumers of the transported goods,” Diño said.
“We know that transportation costs play a huge part in pricing commodities and other goods, which means if we can help cut cost in transporting these products then it is highly probable that consumers will benefit in the end,” he added.
Diño said the two shipping lines that have capitalized on the co-loading law made Subic Bay International Terminal Corporation its port of call.
“We have a highly competitive port here in Subic, doing businesses here is an advantage especially for businesses in Northern Luzon because the infrastructure has already been laid and is fully functional,” he noted.
“We have a technically advanced port here in Subic that just recently completed its first container freight station and not every port in the country has that,” he added.
The CFS, the only facility to serve Central Luzon market features an initial storage space of 840 square meters, and can be extended up to 1,860 square meters.
The facility, which features state-of-the-art equipment and 24-hour CCTV cameras, is capable of stripping or stuffing eight containers simultaneously. It will be inaugurated second week of November.
ECU Worldwide Philippines, Inc. was among the first companies to use the CFS to cater to clients’ Less Container Load (LCL) import and export requirements.
Diño said businesses in Northern Luzon should consider Subic Bay as their gate way to international trade routes.
“The shipping lines that call in Subic can bring their goods all over the world and it would cost them even less,” he said.