The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) said it will seek private-public partnership (PPP) or official development assistance (ODA) in funding five key port projects valued at P40 billion that will expand its logistics handling capability and accommodate more cruise ships.
Eduardo Aliño, SBMA chairman and administrator, said it is eyeing private sector partners to bankroll the projects as well as national government support.
The port projects, bared by Aliño in July, will be supported by a P250-million shore power connection for carbon neutral ports which will make Subic Bay economic and Freeport zone (SBEFZ), the first economic zone in the Philippines to have a carbon-neutral port.
The five port projects which are in support of the Luzon Economic Corridor include the expansion of the capacity of Subic’s container terminals from 600,00 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) to 1 million TEUs with a new terminal.
Aliño did not provide details but disclosed plans to open the Redondo Peninsula via a new multi-purpose terminal costing P11 billion.
This project, which will provide access and support to new industries in the Redondo Peninsula, entails the construction of a 600-meter wharf with a depth of 14 meters and a breakwater. It has a back-up area of 30 hectares.
Aliño also said SBMA will build a new wharf worth P13 billion at the Lower Mau in Boton area of Zambales that will provide an additional capacity of 2.5 million metric tons bulk cargoes.
The project involves the construction of a 570-meter wharf with a depth of 12.9 meters. It has back-up area of 17.2 hectares for warehouses and open storage areas.
A game changing project in Subic is a P10-billion dedicated cruise terminal that Aliño said will propel Subic as one of the top cruise ship destinations not only in the country but in the world.
Phase 1 valued at P1.2 billion entails the construction of a double berth 380-meter pier with a depth of 12 meters that can accommodate vessels that carry 5,000 passengers.
Phase 2, worth P8.96 billion, is the reclamation area for commercial and cruise- related businesses.
Aliño said at present, Subic has 13 terminals capable of handling cruise ships that accommodate 2,500 to 3,000 passengers.
In 2019 prior to the pandemic, Subic welcomed 20 cruise ships.
SBMA said its shore power connection will cut air pollution from ships at berth by 95 percent.
This project is in line with the International Maritime Organization’s Carbon Neutral Ports and in compliance with MARPOL Annex VI and the Act To Prevent Pollution From Ships aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
