Aboitiz InfraCapital (AIC), the infrastructure arm of the Aboitiz Group, launched the 39-hectare industrial expansion of West Cebu Estate to cater to the growing demands from a wider range of industries beyond maritime businesses. The expansion would expand the 540-hectare West Cebu Estate in Balamban, Cebu, a largely shipbuilding hub, into a mixed-use development and other industries such as automotive, manufacturing and logistics. Rafael Fernandez de Mesa, President of Cebu Industrial Park Developers, Inc. and head of Aboitiz InfraCapital Economic Estates, said in a statement that the expansion to other industries is in response to the growing population of Balamban and surrounding areas. Fernandez said the company will launch development of commercial areas within the estate this year.  This includes West Cebu Exchange, which is a commercial complex that will house food outlets, retail shops, basic services, a supermarket, and a transportation hub. “Beyond West Cebu Estate’s strategic location, its skilled population and lower cost of doing business make it a viable investment destination that can significantly drive growth in Balamban and the province of Cebu. This is largely underpinned by our expanding employment opportunities, combined with our well-established mixed-use Economic Estate catering to more light, medium, and heavy industries,” added Fernandez de Mesa. The development will leverage on its success in the maritime industry to evolve into a promising industrial-anchored mixed-use estate that caters to a diverse array of locators beyond the shipbuilding supply chain integration. West Cebu Estate, a 60-40 joint venture between the Aboitiz Group and Tsuneishi Holdings of Japan, is home to some of the world’s leading maritime companies such as Austal Philippines, Australia’s global shipbuilder that offers naval, government, and commercial vessels for leading operators worldwide. Just recently, Austal Philippines delivered the largest, high-speed Catamaran ever constructed in the company’s 35-year history — the Express 5. The 115-meter smart passenger ship, powered by a medium-speed LNG-adapted power plant that offers a powerful, yet economical and environmentally friendly solution, can carry 1,610 passengers and 450 cars that will travel at a speed of 37 knots. "Express 5 is the 21st ship delivered to an overseas operator by Austal Philippines, highlighting the tremendous value added to the Philippines shipbuilding industry since 2012. It's fitting that our latest and greatest ship is also the largest ever delivered by an Austal shipyard, anywhere in the world. The team is rightly very proud and deserve to be congratulated," Austal Philippines President Wayne Murray said. “This would also not have been possible without the infrastructure and resources that West Cebu Estate provides us with.”