CEBU CITY—After some delays, civil works for the multi-million Cebu international container port project will finally begin within the second half of this year.

The development was announced during the virtual 160th Maritime Forum of the Maritime League last Tuesday.

Hosted by the Cebu Port Authority (CPA), the forum tackled updates on the P11-billion New Cebu International Container Port (NCICP) that will rise on a 25-hectare reclaimed area in Barangay Tayud, Consolacion town, northern Cebu.

Based on the presentation of Engr. Romel Pagarom, acting manager of CPA’s Planning and Monitoring Division, the groundbreaking for the NCICP is expected to start on August 16, 2021.

Pagarom said the actual construction of NCICP, which will cost around $118 million (roughly P5.9 billion), would span for 35 months or approximately three years.

NCICP, which is part of the Duterte administration’s Build, Build, Build infrastructure program, will include a berthing facility with a 500-meter-long quay wall that can accommodate two 2,000 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) vessels at the same time; operating facilities and structures for containers; an access road and bridge; and a dredged waterway and turning basin.

Once completed, the NCICP will be serving international cargoes while the current CIP will be converted into a domestic port and enable CPA to address the decongestion problem in the domestic operations.

It was in 2016 when the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) authorized CPA, together with the Department of Transportation (DOTr) as its lead implementing agency, to pursue the project.

The construction was originally scheduled to start in 2018 after the Philippine government and South Korea’s Export Import Bank of Korea (KEXIM) signed a $172.64-million loan agreement, equivalent to P8.48 billion.

Project proponents were forced to push back the start of the construction to November 2020 after failing to secure the necessary permits.

Processing of the Road-Right-Of-Way (RROW) acquisition for roads leading to the new port and the working visa for the South Korean Consultants caused further delays in the implementation of the project.

A memorandum of agreement (MOA) between the Consolacion Municipal Government and DOTr was created so they can formally proceed with the RROW acquisition.

“The Project Management Unit will closely monitor the approval of the MOA and preparation of request for fund transfer of P132 million to LGU Consolacion,” said Pagarom.