PH’s 2nd largest container terminal construction ‘in full swing’
MANILA, Philippines — The construction of the country’s second largest container terminal in Batangas, a P47.8 billion ($800 million) project, is “in full swing”, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said on Friday.
Once completed, the South Luzon Container Terminal (SLCT) will complement Metro Manila’s main port and expand the export capacity of Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon) region, which serves as the country’s industrial belt.
READ: ICTSI profit surged 23% in 2025 on larger cargo volumes
DOTr Secretary Giovanni Lopez, who led the construction launch of the International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) project in the Bauan International Port last week, said Friday that the first phase of construction is scheduled from May to September 2027, with full completion targeted in 2028.
At its full development, the SLCT will have an 800‑meter quay, 38 hectares of yard, an 18‑meter berth depth, and a terminal capacity that will exceed two million TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit) annually, according to Lopez.
The facility will be equipped with advanced equipment including eight remote-controlled ship-to-shore cranes, 20 rail-mounted gantries, and 32 diesel-hybrid carriers and handlers.
READ: ICTSI completes key northport terminal upgrades
The ICTSI said the SLCT occupies a naturally protected cove on Batangas Bay, “which is expected to provide operational stability as the development advances toward its target 2028 completion and prepares for ultra‑large container vessel capability.”
Calabarzon is the Philippines’ manufacturing hub which hosts many of its economic zones contributing more than 20 percent of the country’s total industrial output./dp
