LISTED port operator International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) on Thursday said it had launched a service that connects Visayas and Mindanao (VisMin) to Asia and the Middle East.
“Mindanao Container Terminal (MCT) welcomes the new year strong with the launch of Regional Container Line’s South Philippines 6 (RSP6) service that connects the Philippines’ Visayas and Mindanao regions to Asia and the Middle East via Singapore,” ICTSI said in an e-mailed statement.
ICTSI said the fixed-day weekly service made its first port call to its port terminal in Mindanao on Dec. 19.
Two vessels operate the service covering the Singapore-Cebu-Cagayan-Singapore route, ICTSI noted.
“The vessels turn in Singapore, which serves as a transhipment hub and provides competitive connections from Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, and Zamboanga to other Southeast Asian markets, the Indian subcontinent and the Middle East, while additionally serving the markets further north such as China and South Korea,” it added.
The company said the new service will aid farmers, manufacturers, and other producers in the country.
MCT General Manager Roberto Locsin said, “Now, more than ever, local businesses need help to bounce back, and the new service line will undoubtedly give them the boost they need.”
PHIVIDEC Industrial Estate Administrator and Chief Executive Officer Jose Gabriel la Viña was quoted as saying: “For the city of Cagayan de Oro and the rest of Misamis Oriental, the new service strengthens our position as a major agro-industrial exporter.”
“The availability of a regular and predictable service to a major international hub also presents opportunities for entrepreneurs and industries to move up the value chain. This could only mean higher incomes, more jobs, and a more comfortable life for our people,” he added. — Arjay L. Balinbin
