2010 Feb 08

Mammoth US vessel docks at ICTSI ports

 International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) recently serviced the biggest vessel to dock in the Philippines, the American passenger lines’ APL Bahrain.

The ship called at two of ICTSI’s Philippine terminals: the New Container Terminal-1 (NCT-1) in Subic Bay Freeport, and the Manila International Container Terminal (MICT), ICTSI’s flagship operations, in the Port of Manila.

APL is one of the world’s leading container shipping companies based in Singapore, deployed the 4,330-twenty foot equivalent unit (TEU) capacity APL Bahrain for special calls in the country.

The vessel was newly built by Korean shipbuilder Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Co. Ltd. in its shipyard facility and production at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone in Zambales.

APL Bahrain, which has a length overall of 259.80 meters, had its maiden voyage from the Hanjin Subic shipyard to the nearby NCT-1, operated by ICTSI subsidiary Subic Bay International Terminal Corp.

After NCT-1, the vessel’s next stop was the MICT, the country’s premier international trading gateway. The vessel’s next destination was Hong Kong.

“The calls of APL Bahrain at our Subic and Manila terminals show ICTSI’s capability to service new generation container vessels. We have been expecting the upsizing of vessels coming to the Philippines. At the MICT, the terminal has enough capacity, equipment, facilities and the technology to service much bigger vessels,” ICTSI vice president and MICT general manager Christian Gonzalez said.

Before APL Bahrain, the largest vessel serviced by MICT was a special call in 2007 by the 3,614-TEU capacity MOL Thames.

In terms of capacity, APL Bahrain is the largest vessel to dock at the MICT. However, MOL Thames retains its record as the longest vessel to dock at the terminal, which had a length overall of 289.32 meters.

MICT is the busiest and largest container terminal in the Philippines. With an annual capacity of 1.6 million TEUs, the 75-hectare terminal is equipped with 10 post-Panamax and Panamax quay cranes and 40 rubber tired gantries.

The MICT can accommodate four to six containerships at one time at its 1,300-meter straight wharf.

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