INTERNATIONAL Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) said it has been chosen by the government of Sudan to handle the operations and management of the South Port Container Terminal (SPCT).
In a disclosure to the stock exchange on Friday, the Enrique Razon-led company said it has been tapped to manage the operations and development of the Sudan port for 20 years.
“Sea Ports Corporation of Sudan (SPC), the independent state corporation of the Republic of the Sudan that governs, constructs and maintains the country’s ports, harbors and lighthouses, has confirmed ICTSI as the Preferred Bidder to operate and manage the South Port Container Terminal (SPCT) at the port of Port Sudan, Republic of the Sudan, under a 20-year concession,” it said.
The port operator noted it will still have to discuss and negotiate the concession agreement before the official signing and effectivity of the contract.
SPCT was able to record a throughput of 470,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in 2017 with a terminal capacity of 1 million TEUs.
ICTSI said the port has a total land area of 180 hectares and a 1,200-meter quay wall with water depth of up to 16 meters that enables it to handle the largest container vessels.
“It has equipment that includes eight Ship-to-Shore Gantry Cranes and an extensive range of yard handling equipment including more than 20 Rubber-Tired-Gantry Cranes,” it added.
If the deal is successful, SPCT will be the third port in Africa handled by ICTSI. The other two are the Matadi Gateway Terminal at Matadi, Congo; and the Madagascar International Container Terminal Services Ltd. at Toamasina, Madagascar.
ICTSI posted a 15% fall in earnings with $44.1 million during the first quarter from $51.7 million last year. In a regulatory filing, it said this was due to the “continued appreciation of the US dollar relative to other major currencies, particularly the Philippine peso, Brazilian reais, Mexican peso and the euro.” — Denise A. Valdez

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