The national government has started the construction of the New Cebu International Container Port (NCICP), which the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said, will ensure uninterrupted flow of goods and services in Central Visayas.
DOTr Secretary Jaime J. Bautista said the NCICP will open up space for vessels and cargoes and ensure efficient and faster turnaround of commercial vessels while improving the handling of container stacking facilities.
In effect, he said its full operation will address congestion at the Cebu Base Port.
"This redistribution will pave the way for a seamless flow of goods and services, ensuring our economy remains robust and dynamic. The benefits of this project extend far beyond its physical structure. It is expected to generate a wide array of advantages for users, the local community, and the public sector,” said Bautista.
“With the new cargo port, users can save in vessel waiting costs, reduce cargo transport and congestion-related costs, and increase income from land leases,” he added.
The P16.93-billion cargo port project is implemented under an official development assistance (ODA) scheme from the Export-Import Bank of Korea (KEXIM) and transaction adviser International Finance Corporation of the World Bank.
Targeted to be completed by the second quarter of 2028, the NCICP is designed to rise on a 25-hectare reclaimed island with a 500-meter berth length and a water depth of negative 12 meters.
With a capacity of two 2,000 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) vessels, the NCICP will be equipped with five quay cranes, and with an access road with 1,365 meters to connect the new port through the 300 meters offshore bridge.
Bautista said the project will also generate job creation and local business opportunities, development of regional industries.
This, he said, would lead to global competitiveness of Cebu industries which would establish Cebu as regional logistics hub are the expected benefits of the new port.
“National and local governments, on the other hand, will have increased tax revenues, as well as environmental cost savings due to better operational efficiencies and modern technology,” said Bautista.