P3-B port, industrial park rising in Lemery

P3-B port, industrial park rising in Lemery | Daily Tribune

A P3-billion port with a cement silo and oil terminal will be constructed in a seven-hectare property in Lemery, Batangas, according to Ferdinand Co, president of Sinisian Lemery Batangas Port & Industrial Park Corp.

Co said the port, silo and terminal will each cost more than P1 billion, with the port having a draft depth of 15 meters to handle Panamax-size oil tankers and cargo ships.

Panamax ships are designed to pass through the Panama Canal’s smallest locks that are 110 feet wide, 1,050 feet long, and a depth of 41.2 feet.

The cement silo can accommodate 60,000 metric tons of cement and slag while the oil terminal has a storage capacity of over 170 million liters.

Co said major oil importer and distributor Unioil Petroleum Inc. is the tenant for the oil terminal.

Co, whose family business is largely into cement and other construction supplies trading, said they have decided to diversify into industrial storage facility to help address the global supply chain disruption during the pandemic that also affected domestic industries.

He said supply chain disruption continues to plague economies globally due to ongoing wars and geopolitical tensions.

As the government embarks on building more infrastructure projects under the Build Better More program of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Co said, “We should be ready to provide enough and high-quality cement and slag supply to the Calabarzon area. At this time of global supply disruption, our cement silo facility should help ensure the availability of a major construction material.”

The oil terminal, he added, supports the need to ensure fuel security in the country.

“After we experienced setbacks during the pandemic, the oil storage and distribution facility will be essential to increase the fuel inventory/security, support the increase in demand, and improve logistics, particularly for the NCR (National Capital Region), Calabarzon and Southern Luzon.”

“The Lemery oil terminal is expected to start full commercial operation by January next year,” he said, adding that it will generate at least 200 direct new jobs initially.