ASIAN Terminals Inc. (ATI) said it handled more than 310,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) at the Batangas Container Terminal (BCT) in 2019, up 25% from the previous year.
In a statement on Tuesday, the listed port operator said: “Capping 2019 year on a record note, BCT handled over 310,000 teus of international boxes for economic locators and other businesses based mainly in Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon).”
The latest cargo volume recorded is about 20% higher than 2018’s volume, ATI said.
This keeps BCT’s “double-digit” cargo growth over the past six years, the listed company added.
ATI attributes its performance to its “growing customers” and the support it gets from its partners.
It said its expansion program for the BCT in 2019 resulted in “higher capacity and greater efficiency” for port users in the region.
ATI has said that its capital expenditure last year was set at $300 million (about P15.6 billion), where more than P2.5 billion would be spent in expanding BCT.
The listed port operator opened the BCT’s Berth 2 in April last year.
ATI said the additional berth would almost double BCT’s capacity to about 500,000 TEUs from the previous 350,000 TEUs. — Arjay L. Balinbin
