The Subic Bay Freeport has a total of 15 piers and wharves that can serve various purposes from transshipment of containerized and break-bulk cargoes , fuels and lubricants , grains and fertilizer , as well as servicing vessels and passengers .
Maritime
Credits : SubicNewsLink
SBMA allots P2.46-B for piers , wharves
SBMA Chairperson and Administrator Wilma T . Eisma
The Subic Bay Freeport has a total of 15 piers and wharves that can serve various purposes from transshipment of containerized and break-bulk cargoes , fuels and lubricants , grains and fertilizer , as well as servicing vessels and passengers .
T he Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority ( SBMA ) has allotted PHP2.46 billion for the rehabilitation of piers and wharves in this Freeport .
Newly-appointed SBMA Chairperson and Administrator Wilma T . Eisma said the move is part of an effort to fully improve the so-called heart and soul of this premier maritime logistics center .
" The piers and wharves are undeniably the biggest assets of Subic Bay , and our sea port generates the biggest income among all the SBMA units ,” Eisma said .
“ We need to put these assets in top condition so that we can service more vessels and also get top returns for our investments ,” she added .
The Subic Bay Freeport has a total of 15 piers and wharves that can serve various purposes from transshipment of containerized and break-bulk cargoes , fuels and lubricants , grains and fertilizer , as well as servicing vessels and passengers .
The port of Subic also offers key services like cargo handling , pilot and tugboat services , ship chandling , bunkering and tendering , ship agents , onboard repair , cargo survey , underwater survey , and vessel lay-up and line handling .
Eisma said that while Subic has its own airport , its seaport is the most viable facility to develop and earn from .
" With the money the government is pouring into Clark today , Subic cannot hope to compete with its airport , so we have to prioritize development of our seaport ,” she explained .
Eisma particularly cited the Alava Pier , which services military and passenger vessels in Subic , that needs to be dredged and its piles strengthened in order to accommodate bigger cruise ships .
“ We have concluded talks with some cruise liners and the Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd . , which will dock in Subic starting next May , but we cannot bring in those with passenger capacity of up to 5,000 because our piers are not yet upgraded ,” Eisma said .
She said that attending the 2017 Asia Cruise Forum in Jeju , South Korea last August made her realized it was really necessary to rehabilitate Alava Pier to bring it on par with global cruise standards .
Aside from the repairs of piers and wharves , the SBMA also plans to undertake major projects like upgrading of facilities at the Subic Bay International Airport , concreting and repair of roads , port dredging , building of the proposed SBMA-Olongapo Museum , and the construction of the Magsaysay Bridge , which leads to the Freeport main gate ;
The Subic agency is also planning to build an SBMA Corporate Center to house the various SBMA offices that are scattered among several US Navy-era buildings . pna . gov . ph
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