The Department of Transportation (DOTr) said Wednesday it expects the P16.93-billion New Cebu International Container Port (NCICP) to be operational by the second quarter of 2028.
The DOTr and Cebu Port Authority (CPA) broke ground on the NCICP—a maritime infrastructure seen to benefit port users, local community and the government.
DOTr Secretary Jaime Bautista said the NCICP would address congestion at the Cebu Base Port and open up space for vessels and cargoes, ensuring efficient and faster turnaround of commercial vessels, while improving handling ang container stacking facilities.
“This redistribution will pave the way for a seamless flow of goods and services, ensuring our economy remains robust and dynamic,” said Bautista said during the groundbreaking ceremony in Barangay Tayud, Consolacion, Cebu.
Bautista noted the various benefits of the NCICP—alleviating bottlenecks in the logistics chain, promoting faster and more cost-efficient transport of goods, while enhancing the competitiveness of local businesses and industries.
“The benefits of this project extend far beyond its physical structure. It is expected to generate a wide array of advantages for users, the local community, and the public sector,” Bautista said.
The transport chief said that with the new cargo port, users could save in vessel waiting costs, reduce cargo transport and congestion-related costs and increase income from land leases.
He said job creation, local business opportunities, development of regional industries, global competitiveness of Cebu industries and establishing Cebu as regional logistics hub are the expected benefits of the new port.
National and local governments will have increased tax revenues as well as environmental cost savings due to better operational efficiencies and modern technology, he said.
The cargo port project is implemented under an official development assistance (ODA) scheme from the Export-Import Bank of Korea (KEXIM) and transaction adviser International Finance Corp. of the World Bank.
NCICP will rise on a 25-hectare reclaimed island with a 500-meter berth length and a water depth of negative 12 meters.
With a capacity of two 2,000 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) vessels, the NCICP will be equipped with five quay cranes, and with an access road with 1,365 meters to connect the new port through the 300 meters offshore bridge.
