Batangas International Port | |
---|---|
Location | |
Country | Philippines |
Location | Batangas City |
Coordinates | 13°45′16″N121°02′36″E / 13.75432°N 121.04339°E |
UN/LOCODE | PHBTG [1] |
Details | |
Operated by | Philippine Ports Authority |
Type of harbour | Passenger and cargo |
Land area | 150 hectares (1,500,000 m2) |
Statistics | |
Vessel arrivals | 32,777 (2015) [2] |
Annual cargo tonnage | 2,374,980 (2015) [2] |
Passenger traffic | 6,346,303 (2015) [2] |
The Batangas International Port (Filipino : Daungan Pandaigdig ng Batangas) or locally known as the Batangas Pier (Tagalog : Pantalan ng Batangas) is a seaport in Barangay Santa Clara, Batangas City primarily serving the Calabarzon region of the Philippines. The seaport covers an area of about 150 hectares.
It was declared as a national port in 1956. [3] It serves as an alternate port to the Port of Manila. In the 1990s, it was the second biggest port in the Philippines in terms of revenue, just behind the Port of Manila. [4] [5]
The Batangas Container Terminal (BCT) of the Batangas International Port is operated by listed Asian Terminals Inc. is a major trading port outside Metro Manila serving major industries in Southern Luzon. BCT handled over 85,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of international containers from January to July 2016. In 2015, the terminal handled 130,000 TEUs in 2015, [6] 28.9% of its actual capacity of 450,000 TEUs.
The Port of Batangas in 2014 was only handling 12,000 TEUs or 2.7% of its actual capacity. [7] Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) discounts in the port and docking fees at the Batangas Port attracted more foreign and local shipping firms and incentivized them for helping decongest Manila's facilities. In 2016 it was reported that the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has proposed to transfer operations of the Port of Manila to the Batangas International Port, citing the fact that most of the domestic shipping largely comes from South of Manila, saying that ship operating costs would be relatively lower if vessels were docked in Batangas City rather than in Manila. [8]
Other competing ports such as the Port of Subic Bay are also providing container storage services to ease congestion at the Manila ports. In August 2014, PPA reported an 85%–89% yard utilization for the MICT and Manila South Harbor. [9]
The Batangas port is also a gateway for passengers, Roro/ferry (terminal 2) and tourist traffic. There are 3 passenger terminals located inside the port, after the toll entrance. The presence of a population of hustlers, tourist guides, and pushy unofficial port authority "helpers" targeting tourists can be a problem especially for foreign visitors who are not familiar with the organization of the terminal. The boats have tendency not to leave on time, and the poor reputation of the passenger terminal is in serious need of improvement. Some Roro ferry services also seem to consistently fail meeting maritime safety standards due to minimum ship maintenance, and chronic overload. [10] On passenger terminal 3, ferry tickets for Puerto Galera, a popular tourist destination, can be purchased directly on arrival next to the piers to Sabang, Whitebeach, Muelle and Balatero. This city is situated approximately 75 minutes away from Batangas port on the north tip of Mindoro island across the Verde Island passage from Luzon. Before boarding, passengers also need to a pay in cash a variety of local taxes such as an environmental user fee and terminal fee. Puerto Galera is accessible through regular ferry lines operating 60 to 120 passenger outrigger ferries i.e. traditional big "bangka", including FSL or Father and Son Shipping Lines and MSL, Minolo Shipping Lines, Challenge and Passion Shipping Lines. [11]
Other passenger regular lines include access by ferry to :
On April 26, 2024, President Bongbong Marcos inaugurated the new 1.5-hectare (3.7-acre) Batangas Pier passenger terminal. As the “biggest, busiest and most modern passenger building", it can now accommodate 8,000 passengers, from its previous capacity of 2,500 daily, thereby increasing annual passenger capacity from 4 to 12.8 million. Philippine Ports Authority General Manager Jay Daniel Santiago said that the terminal connects mainland Luzon to Mimaropa to Iloilo, Negros, Cebu, and Mindanao via high-speed craft, ferries, and Roll-on/roll-off ships. [14]
The Batangas port is under the management of Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), the port administration in the Philippines, created in 1975 and attached to what is now the Department of Transportation (DOTr) for policy and program coordination. Port administration was merged with the traditional function of revenue collection of the Bureau of Customs (BOC). PPA is also vested with the function of undertaking all port construction projects under its port system. [15]
The port falls within the administrative jurisdiction of the Customs Collection District of Batangas or Collection District IV, an area defined by the BOC which comprises the province of Aurora, Batangas, Quezon, Marinduque, Oriental, Occidental Mindoro, and Palawan. Batangas City, which hosts the port, is defined by the customs as the district's principal port of entry while the sub-ports of entry are designated as Puerto Princesa in Palawan and Plaridel, Quezon and Aurora. [16]
In March 2016, Operator Asian Terminals Inc. announce plans to invest ₱3.8 billion primarily to improve port operations in the Batangas port, as well as the Port of Manila. The plan involves increasing the capacity of the port which is projected to accommodate more domestic passengers and international container cargoes. [17]
The port of Batangas can improve its attractiveness in providing competitively-priced electricity or energy to investors and in offering higher quality maritime services. Regulations and ease-of-doing-business policies and standard operating procedures can be improved significantly.[ citation needed ]
The size of interior roads connecting the port leads to congestion that renders highways and expressways far less effective. The idea that the connection of the port to the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR Tollway) and South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) without passing through the Batangas City proper was since completed when STAR Tollway became connected with SLEX since December 2010. In addition, the revival or construction of a railway system connecting the Port of Batangas to Metro Manila would certainly accelerate its development.[ citation needed ]
These topics are regularly debated at the provincial level, particularly during Batangas gubernatorial elections. [18]
On April 26, 2024, President Bongbong Marcos launched the port's expansion project during the Integrated Passenger Terminal building's inauguration. [19]
Transportation in the Philippines covers the transportation methods within the archipelagic nation of over 7,600 islands. From a previously underdeveloped state of transportation, the government of the Philippines has been improving transportation through various direct infrastructure projects, and these include an increase in air, sea, road, and rail transportation and transport hubs.
Batangas, officially the Province of Batangas, is a first class province of the Philippines located in the southwestern part of Luzon in the Calabarzon region. Its capital is the city of Batangas, and is bordered by the provinces of Cavite and Laguna to the north, and Quezon to the east. Across the Verde Island Passages to the south is the island of Mindoro and to the west lies the South China Sea. Poetically, Batangas is often referred to by its ancient name, Kumintáng.
Oriental Mindoro, officially the Province of Oriental Mindoro, is a province in the Philippines located on the island of Mindoro under Mimaropa region in Luzon, about 140 kilometres (87 mi) southwest of Manila. The province is bordered by the Verde Island Passage and the rest of Batangas to the north, by Marinduque, Maestre de Campo Island, Tablas Strait and the rest of Romblon to the east, by Semirara and the rest of Caluya Islands, Antique to the south, and by Occidental Mindoro to the west. Its provincial capital Calapan, the only city in the island, is the most-populous in the province, and Mimaropa's regional center.
Southern Tagalog, designated as Region IV, was an administrative region in the Philippines that comprised the current regions of Calabarzon and Mimaropa, the province of Aurora in Central Luzon, and most of the National Capital Region. It was the largest region in the Philippines in terms of both land area and population. After its partition on May 17, 2002, Southern Tagalog continues to exist as a cultural-geographical region.
San Agustín, officially the Municipality of San Agustín,, is a 4th class municipality in the province of Romblon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 24,115 people.
Calapan, officially the City of Calapan, is a 3rd class component city and the capital of the province of Oriental Mindoro, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 145,786 people making it the most populous in Oriental Mindoro and second in the entire Mindoro Island after San Jose in Occidental Mindoro. The city is also the regional center of Mimaropa region, as well as its second biggest city.
International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) is a global port management company headquartered in Manila, Philippines. Established in 1916, ICTSI is the Philippines' largest multinational and transnational company, having established operations in both developed and emerging market economies in Asia Pacific, the Americas, and Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The company is ranked the eighth largest container terminal operator, according to TEU equity volume.
Montenegro Shipping Lines, Inc. (MSLI) is a Philippine domestic shipping line based at Batangas City, Philippines. The office is located at Montenegro Corporate office, along Bolbok Diversion Road, Bolbok Batangas City. It operates passenger, cargo and RORO vessels to various destinations in the Philippines under the brands Montenegro Lines and Marina Ferries.
The Philippine Nautical Highway System, also the Road Roll-on/Roll-off Terminal System (RRTS) or simply the RoRo System, is an integrated network of highway and vehicular ferry routes which forms the backbone of a nationwide vehicle transport system in the Philippines. It is a system of roads and ports developed by the Philippine government to connect the major islands of Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao. The 919-kilometer (571 mi) nautical highway was opened to the public on April 12, 2003 as the Strong Republic Nautical Highway (SRNH).
The Port of Manila refers to the collective facilities and terminals that process maritime trade function in harbors in Metro Manila. Located in the Port Area and Tondo districts of Manila, facing Manila Bay, it is the largest and the premier international shipping gateway to the country. The Philippine Ports Authority, a government-owned corporation, manages the Port of Manila and most of the public ports in the country. It is composed of 3 major facilities, namely Manila North Harbor, Manila South Harbor, and the Manila International Container Terminal.
The Port of Subic Bay is in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, the former U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay, on Subic Bay in the Philippines. It is one of the busiest, largest, historical and most important of ports in the Philippines. The Port is operated and managed by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA).
The Port of Iloilo is a seaport located in Iloilo City, Philippines. It serves the city, province of Iloilo, and the entire island of Panay in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines. It is located in the districts of Iloilo City Proper and Lapuz, on the southeastern coast of Panay, in Iloilo Strait, and one of the country’s safest and most natural harbors. The Port of Iloilo is managed by the Philippine Ports Authority, a government-owned corporation, and consists of major facilities: the Iloilo River Wharf, Iloilo Domestic Port, and the Visayas Container Terminal.
Philippine Span Asia Carrier Corporation (PSACC), formerly branded as Sulpicio Lines, Inc., is a major shipping line in the Philippines. PSACC is one of the largest domestic shipping and container companies in the Philippines in terms of the number of vessels operated and gross tonnage. The company provides inter-island cargo services throughout the major ports and cities in the Philippines.
Carlos A. Gothong Lines, popularly known as CAGLI and formerly once known as simply Gothong Lines, is a passenger and cargo ferry company based in Cebu, Philippines. CAGLI was formerly a part of WG&A SuperFerry, a company in January 1996 which served 23 major provincial ports throughout the Philippines and was the first domestic shipping company in the country to be certified by the International Safety Management Code standard. CAGLI, William Lines and Aboitiz Shipping formed was the biggest merger in the Philippine shipping industry.
The Port of Piraeus is the sea port of Piraeus, located on the Saronic Gulf on the western coasts of the Aegean Sea, the largest port in Greece and one of the largest in Europe.
2GO Travel or 2GO Sea Solutions, also known simply as 2GO, is a ferry company based in Manila, Philippines, the shipping arm of 2GO Group, and the only remaining Manila-based major interisland ferry company, with its hubs located in Pier 4 at the Manila North Harbor and Batangas International Port.
The Port of Abra de Ilog is a seaport in Abra de Ilog, Occidental Mindoro in the Philippines. It is the main seaport of northern Occidental Mindoro. Household consumption goods are the main cargoes imported in the port while outgoing cargoes are agricultural products such as corn, rice, and livestock. The port has a Passenger Terminal Building which occupies 159 square metres (1,710 sq ft) of space and can accommodate up to 100 people. The port has an two 81 metres (266 ft) RC pier with four ramps for RORO ferries. As of 2023, Montenegro Shipping Lines, Island Water and Besta Shipping Lines have destinations from Abra de Ilog to Batangas, while Caribbean lines has a destination to Balatero.
Starlite Ferries is a passenger ferry company based in Batangas City, Batangas, Philippines owned and operated by Chelsea Logistics Holdings Corp., a Manila-based logistics company. It mainly serves the provinces of Batangas, Oriental Mindoro, Romblon, Aklan, Cebu and Surigao del Norte and is one of the leading ferry companies operating in the Mimaropa and Western Visayas regions.
Archipelago Philippine Ferries Corporation (APFC) is a ferry company based in Muntinlupa, Metro Manila, Philippines. It serves passenger and cargo routes serving select seaports in the Philippines with its fleet of catamaran Roll-on/Roll-off (RoRo) ferries. It also operates ports and terminals.
Asian Marine Transport Corporation (AMTC) is a Filipino passenger and freight shipping company established in 1999 in Cebu City, Philippines. It owns and operates the Super Shuttle RORO, Super Shuttle Ferry and Shuttle Fast Ferry brand of RORO and ROPAX ferries.