Mega project A US$800-million international container terminal is set to open in Bauan, Batangas in 2027. Its size is expected to rival that of the Manila International Container Terminal seen in the photo.  PHILIPPINE NEWS AGENCY
BUSINESS

LICT to ease Luzon port traffic by 2028

‘By 2028, this Luzon International Container Terminal will be the second biggest container terminal in the country. This is very important, especially for the CALABARZON area, which is the industrial capital of the Philippines’ — Secretary Vince Hizon, Department of Transportation

Maria Bernadette Romero

The Luzon International Container Terminal (LICT) in Bauan, Batangas — poised to become the country’s second-largest container terminal — is expected to help decongest ports in Luzon once it begins operations by early 2028.

Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon said on Monday that the Razon-led International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) project is scheduled for completion by the end of 2027, with operations targeted to begin by early 2028.

Second biggest

“This Luzon International Container Terminal, by 2028, will be the second biggest container terminal in the country. This is very important, especially for the CALABARZON area because it is the industrial capital of the Philippines,” Dizon said.

Dizon said the terminal could also very well serve as a catalyst for the development of an industrial zone in the province.

Dedicated access road

Addressing concerns about traffic, Dizon noted that a dedicated access road will be built from the terminal to the STAR Tollway to avoid congestion in Bauan.

“We will have an access road from the terminal directly to the STAR Tollway. It will be a wide road where our trucks will fit comfortably and won’t disrupt the roads used by the residents of Bauan,” he said.

The terminal, located in Bauan, is designed to handle around two million twenty-foot equivalent units annually, including large mega vessels.