CONSOLACION, Cebu—Officials of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and local government representatives led the inauguration of a new container port.
TheDOTr led by Secretary Jaime Bautista with Consolacion Cebu Mayor Teresa Alegado, CPA General Manager Francisco Comendador III with the officials from the Korean Embassy and the EDCF Korea Eximbank and other hosts of local officials led the inauguration of the New Cebu International Container Port (NCICP) in Consolacion, Cebu on February 5 marking the start of the P16.93 billion port infrastructure projects in Cebu Province.
“The NCIP is more than just a port, but a symbol of progress, commitment and efforts to meet the future demands of the maritime industry. The project is seen to improve port capacity, not only meets but exceeds the current demands of the transportation industry,” Bautista said in his opening message.
According to Cebu Port Authority general manager Francisco Comendador, III that the New Cebu International Container Port (NCICP) is a P16.93B infrastructure project that involve the construction of an international container port equipped with five quay cranes in a reclaimed land of 25 hectares with a 500-meter berth length; 14,000 container yard capacity, and water depth of (-12) meters to accommodate two 2,000 twenty-foot equivalent (TEU) vessels.
Comendador added that the project was awarded to a Korean HJ Shipbuilding & Construction Co., Ltd., and is expected to be completed by 2028. Once completed, the NCICP increases the operational capacity of the main cargo gateway in the Central Visayas Region by redistributing the international container volume from the existing Cebu International Port to the NCICP, which will improve handling and container stacking facilities.
The project will also alleviate road congestion around Cebu Base port and provide a more efficient and reliable port infrastructure for the unimpeded flow of goods and services. This development is crucial to meet the increasing cargo demand and support the growth of commerce and industry in the Visayas and Mindanao Regions, Comendador said.