HARBOR STAR Shipping Services, Inc. said it took delivery of its two new boats at the Port of Batangas last week, which will be used at the newly inaugurated Cavite Gateway Terminal.
In a disclosure to the stock exchange on Wednesday, the listed shipping firm said it received the 32-meter M.V. Crest Opal tugboat and 280-feet Crest 2801 barge last Nov. 23.
“(Harbor Star’s) tug and barge tandem will enable efficient transport of containerized cargo goods to and from Metro Manila and Cavite through the coastal waters using chassis roll-on, roll-off operations,” it said.
The M.V. Crest Opal is Harbor Star’s 44th tugboat in its fleet, and the Crest 2801 its eighth barge.
The government opened the Cavite Gateway Terminal last week, the Philippines’ first barge terminal. Located in Tanza, the terminal will have an annual capacity of 115,000 twenty-foot equivalent units every year.
The project was funded by port operator International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) and will be operated by its subsidiary Cavite Gateway Terminal, Inc.
“(Harbor Star) is committed to support the projects of ICTSI and the government’s program of easing traffic congestion in Metro Manila by using the waterways as means of transporting goods,” Harbor Star said.
The new barge terminal is expected to reduce road traffic by up to two kilometers of trucks daily, or 140,000 fewer truck trips in a year, the Department of Transportation (DoTr) said. — Denise A. Valdez
