A new feeder service expanding the Port of Subic’s connectivity to South China and Vietnam was welcomed by Subic Bay International Terminal Corp. (SBITC) in early June.
The South China Vietnam Philippines (SVP) service made its inaugural call at the Port of Subic on June 9 with the arrival of Danum 175, a 1,200-TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units) boxship operated by Emirates Shipping Line (ESL), SBITC parent International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) said in a statement.
A new player in the Philippine market, ESL operates the SVP service along with ASEAN Sea Line (ASL) and Pacific International Line (PIL). Dubai-headquartered ESL is a United Arab Emirates liner shipping company that connects the dynamic container trades of the Middle East, China, Southeast Asia, India and Africa.
The feeder service, which makes weekly calls to Subic port, caters to the growing trade requirements of South China and Vietnam.
The service also highlights the free trade agreement between the Philippines and other Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership members including Vietnam, which faces growing demand for its agricultural and manufacturing exports.
“The service offers a good opportunity to Northern and Central Luzon traders, who can leverage the increased connectivity to markets in Vietnam and China,” said Henry Dungca, SBITC terminal manager.
The SVP service rotation is as follows: Shekou – Nansha – Xiamen – Manila North – Subic – Xiamen – Shekou – Nansha – Ho Chi Minh – Shekou.
With the addition of the SVP service and ESL, SBITC now caters to more than a dozen weekly services and major shipping lines.
SBITC manages and operates Subic port’s New Container Terminals 1 and 2, which have a combined annual capacity of 600,000 TEUs.