Bridging continents through ports

Hello, my dear readers.

Halfway through the year, we still have six more months to do better and achieve more goals!

Last year at this time I was preparing for my trip to the ports of France to learn from their lessons in the maritime industry, and guess what? Recently, I interviewed Marcia Costa from the Commercial Department Statistics of the Port of Luanda. She was a colleague from the training in Port Operations and Management in Le Havre, France last year.

Now a year after, we talked about how the training was very applicable to the challenges ports are facing in this digital and global age of technology. Little did I know that the Port of Manila and the Port of Luanda in Angola have so much more in common!

Did you know that the Port of Luanda and the Port of Manila are both strategically located at the center of maritime routes and trades?

The Port of Luanda is a major trade access to the Atlantic Ocean and the interior of Angola, while the Port of Manila is a crossing point to the Pacific Ocean which makes it easy to reach trading partners in Asia, Europe and America.

Both ports played a crucial role in the establishment of the Portuguese and Spanish colonial presence in their respective regions. As early as the 16th century, there had been attempts to create a port in Luanda during the colonization of the Portuguese of Angola. While the Port of Manila was the point of embarkation during the Spanish times for the galleon trade connecting to China, Mexico and Europe.

The Port of Luanda is one of the largest deep sea ports in Angola and is one of the largest commercial centers in the country being the gateway for such products such as beverages, coffee, cotton, oilseed, and agricultural products.

Meanwhile, the Port of Manila is considered one of the busiest ports in the world with a high volume of cargo passing through it annually. It is the gateway for agricultural exports like bananas, coconut, tobacco and even alcohol.

On 15 June, the Port of Luanda will celebrate its 80th anniversary with a target to improve operational safety and port efficiency to become a reference port on the African continent.

Located at the center of the country’s most populous and economically dynamic region with easy cargo distribution to the interior via rail and road, the chairman of the board of directors, Dr. Alberto Bengue, is increasing the port’s level of competitiveness to achieve sustainability and increased efficiency.

Happy 80th anniversary to the Port of Luanda! May you continue with your vision of being efficient, competitive, and safe with values rooted in safety and social responsibility. Long live, or “Mabuhay,” as we say in Filipino.

Meanwhile, on the Philippines side, it is almost the anniversary of the Philippine Ports Authority. In one month, the PPA will celebrate its 51st year as the premiere maritime hub for trade and global investments. Turn to page 11

It has always been about expanding the horizon and the vision of PPA general manager Jay Santiago by implementing strategic measures to ensure that Philippine ports remain competitive and resilient through the modernization and expansion of port infrastructure, digitalization of operations to improve efficiency, and close coordination with private terminal operators and logistics providers to optimize resource allocation.

As a matter of fact, there’s more to look forward to in the PPA, especially since recently the President himself visited the Port of Amandayehan in Basey, Samar to inspect the port.

In response to transportation challenges brought about by restrictions on the San Juanico Bridge (which is undergoing rehabilitation), the PPA has allocated more than P400 million from its Corporate Operating Budget to expand and modernize key ports in Samar that will serve as alternate transport routes between the provinces of Leyte and Samar.

In less than a month since the Department of Public Works and Highways announced the implementation of a three-ton weight limit on San Juanico Bridge, the PPA was able to plan out the expansion of the port with the installation of 14 navigation buoys worth ₱100 million.

These aids will ensure safer vessel passage, especially at night and during inclement weather, and will form part of the agency’s broader maritime infrastructure improvements in Eastern Visayas. In addition, the agency has allocated ₱100 million for dredging works and ₱200 million for the port’s physical expansion, enabling it to handle more vessels and cargo.

Congratulations again to the PPA management headed by GM Santiago and the port workers of the Port Management Office of Eastern Leyte and Samar for the fast action that will bridge convenience to the people of Samar and Leyte, and congratulations in advance on the PPA’s 51st anniversary this July.

Indeed, a long-term, reliable, and resilient transport system in the region through continuous port modernization, seamless and sustainable connectivity across the country is what we need in this archipelagic country for we are all in the same boat.