MANILA, Philippines – Cargo from international ports in Manila will soon be transported via barges and Roll-on Roll-off (RO-RO) operations to the Philippines’ first container port in Cavite.

Set to be inaugurated on November 5, the Cavite Gateway Terminal (CGT) in Tanza will be integrated with other major Luzon port facilities “for a cost-effective and time-bound” access to the Cavite market, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said. 

The Enrique Razon Jr-led International Container Terminal Services, Incorporated (ICTSI) built the $30-million terminal, which will support a total throughput of 115,000 20-foot equivalent units per year.

Since the terminal provides direct access to Cavite, the project is projected to decrease truck trips via land by 140,000 annually. The DOTr said it would help reduce road traffic by almost two kilometers of trucks at a time once it is operational.

“We are an archipelago, so this is really a no-brainer. Matagal na dapat ito. Madalas congested ang mga kalsada na papunta sa mga port, at ito ang magiging solusyon diyan,” Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said in a statement. (This is long overdue. Our roads are usually congested along the ports, and this is the solution.)

Cavite was identified as the prime location for such a project primarily because of the province’s high economic density. The terminal is 11 kilometers away from the Cavite Export Processing Zone.

Passenger ferry services from Cavite to Manila will be made available, the DOTr said, following discussions with ICTSI.

ICTSI’s portfolio of terminals and projects spans developed and emerging market economies in the Asia Pacific, the Americas, Europe, Middle East, and Africa. – Rappler.com