South Pacific International Container Terminal (SPICT) in Lae, Papua New Guinea (PNG) has opened its coffee bulking facility and handled its first delivery for one of the country's major coffee producers.
As the largest container handling facility in PNG, SPICT intends to establish itself as the premiere gateway for the country's coffee trade.
Coffee production provides income to more than three million Papua New Guineans and is one of the country's major industries.
Recently, SPICT took delivery of 320 bags of green coffee beans for export to Melbourne, Australia from its first customer, Monpi Coffee Exports Ltd.
"After almost a year of securing permits from state regulators and consultation with coffee experts across the country, we are ready to provide the highest level of service to PNG's coffee industry," remarked Robert Maxwell, SPICT chief executive officer.
SPICT's coffee bulking facility offers a 2,000-square-meter, fully equipped warehouse manned by a specialized team dedicated to coffee handling and storage operations.
The warehouse is compliant with regulator Coffee Industry Corporation (CIC).
SPICT assures customers of readily available containers from all shipping lines, as well as zero risk of missed sailings for CIC-approved shipments.
"Opening the coffee bulking facility is one of our major accomplishments for this year," according to Maxwell.
"We look forward to helping PNG's coffee industry grow by helping exporters capitalize on opportunities from the increasing global demand for coffee," he added.
Majority of the country’s coffee production is centered on Arabica and Robusta, and around 99.9 percent of PNG’s coffee is exported as green beans.
Furthermore, SPICT is connecter to the Morobe and the Highlands region, which accounts for more than 90 percent of the country's coffee production.
In 2017, International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI), through its Papua New Guinea subsidiary, South Pacific International Container Terminal Limited, signed a 25-year terminal operations agreement with state-owned PNG Ports Corporation Limited for the Port of Lae.
SPICT’s contract specifically covers the port operations and facilities at the South Pacific International Container Terminal.