Preparing Manila Harbor Center for larger vessels

Manila Harbor Center (MHC) is expanding its cargo handling capacity with the completion of eco-friendly bulk cargo bays (BCB) and dredging of the berths to accommodate larger vessels.

This new development increases MHC’s number of BCBs from two to five, effectively improving the terminal’s bulk storage capacity by over 100 percent from 24,000 to 55,000 metric tons, International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) said.

For dredging works, MHC has tapped infrastructure company Prime Metro BMD to further deepen the 865-meter berth in Terminals 1 and 2 and the 240-meter berth in Terminal 3.

Once dredging is completed, Terminals 1 and 2 will have a design draft of 10.5 meters and Terminal 3 will have 8.7 meters.

“We are gearing up MHC to handle more trade as the country continues to recover from the pandemic and prepares to fully open the economy. The deepening of the berths will allow us to facilitate larger vessels and additional cargo,” said Geraldine Santos, MHC commercial head.

According to ICTSI, MHC continues to collaborate with clients and stakeholders in addressing their requirements by further improving its port facilities and capabilities, including going the extra mile and other value-added services.