As the decade gave way to 2011, Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) general manager, lawyer Juan Sta. Ana, expressed enthusiasm over the prospects of container growth at the Sasa wharf, particularly its fresh banana exports.
“Our reefer container capacity in Sasa is 140 containers (and) with the planned augmentation of another 140 containers this year or, (it will be) a total of 280 reefer container capacity,” GM Sta. Ana said during his new year’s toast message to PPA officers and employees at the head office in Manila on January 7.
Known also as the Davao Baseport, Sasa wharf is poised to double its reefer structures used for plugging in containerized vans from its current actual 144 outlets which were built in 2004 yet to 288 within 2011.
The additional reefers will be funded and built by cargo handling operator Davao Integrated Port and Stevedoring Services Corporation (DIPSSCOR), a subsidiary of the International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI), operator of the Manila International Container Terminal (MICT).
Putting context to the reefer expansion of Sasa wharf, Sta. Ana explained that in 2008, volume of Maersk Line alone per week was already 150 boxes, then doubled to 300 and 600 boxes in 2009 and 2010, respectively.
Maersk Line has already resorted to plugging in its containers at a reefer station one (1) kilometre away from the Sasa wharf, the GM added.
DIPPSCOR’s clients include key international companies such as the American President Lines (APL), Maersk Line, Regional Container Lines (RCL), Neptune Orient Lines (NOL), Mariana Express Lines, Ltd., CF Sharp Shipping Agencies, Inc. It is able to serve at least nine (9) vessels per week carrying mostly containers bound for China, Japan, Singapore and South Korea, for the past three years.
In August 2010, DIPSSCOR shipped three (3) units of rubber-tired gantry (RTG) cranes from the MICT to the Sasa wharf as part of its management contract with the PPA on reefer operations.
For the past four months, the RTGs have been very helpful in maximizing the now congested container yard space by enabling up to five (5)-high stacking of boxes while being plugged at the reefers before loading onto vessels.
During the last quarter of 2010, the port management office (PMO)-Davao Port manager and concurrent acting port district manager, lawyer Christian Santillan of the port district office (PDO)-Southern Mindanao reported that foreign trade at Sasa wharf grew by 42% in the first 10 months despite the embargo by Iran of United States-labelled bananas which has also affected those coming from the Davao region.
By 2011, DIPPSCOR forecasts that reefer containers will be up to 700 per week which will certainly create higher usage rate for plugging and greater occupancy for stacking.
DIPPSCOR in its cargo handling management contract with PPA is likewise committed to provide for a quay crane (either mobile or rail-mounted) once its container volume reaches 150,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) annually. As early as 2007, it had already reached 200,000 TEUs.
GM Sta. Ana intends to capitalize on the national government’s thrust on public-private partnership (PPP) projects to usher in infrastructure developments as well as operational upgrading of the Davao Baseport for the next five years, which include, among others, privatization and port expansion.
