International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) beefs up the operations of its container barge terminal, the Cavite Gateway Terminal (CGT) in Tanza, as a logistical alternative for the country’s supply chain.

“As the country begins to re-open its economy, we continue to support importers and exporters, not only through enhancements in our operated terminals, but also through practical solutions and alternatives,” explained Christian R. Gonzalez, ICTSI executive vice president.

The CGT is the country’s first dedicated container barge terminal, spanning six hectares, with the capacity to handle 115,000 Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) annually.

It optimizes the sea lanes of Manila Bay while providing alternate means of transporting containers from the Port of Manila to the CALABARZON area south of Manila and back.

ICTSI recently strengthened its yard and wharf operations, deploying additional landside container handling equipment as well as directly contracted barge equipment.

ICTSI's enhancements at CGT came at an opportune time with the temporary closure of the southbound portion of Roxas Boulevard.

“We support the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority’s (MMDA) call to look for other ways to transport containers, and we are happy to be able to offer an alternative through the services provided by CGT,” Gonzalez noted.

Recently, the MMDA announced the temporary closure of the boulevard’s southbound lanes to give way to the Department of Public Works and Highways’ repair of a damaged box culvert in front of a pumping station in Pasay City, and civil works related to the Department of Transportation’s Light Rail Transit Line 1 Cavite Extension Project.

Roxas Boulevard is part of a cargo truck trade route connecting the Port of Manila to Southern Luzon.

Close to 900 trucks and over 1,000 trailers daily travel the road’s southbound direction alone.