Davao International Container Terminal (DICT) has entered into a joint venture agreement with Philcement Corp. to build a dedicated berth for cement and cementitious materials, said DICT business development manager Lemuel Calatrava.
The construction and operation of a 200-meter Berth 5/bulk terminal will be overseen by DICT Bulk Terminal, Inc., the joint venture between DICT and Philcement, a subsidiary of conglomerate PHINMA Corp. engaged in the processing, marketing and distribution of cement, with Union Cement as its legacy brand.
The cement shipments will be processed in a dedicated terminal soon to be built near DICT and operated by Philcement Mindanao, a joint venture between Philcement and DICT parent company Anflo Management & Investment Corp.
In an interview Calatrava said bulk terminal construction will cost at least P700 million and acquisition of conveyor, port equipment and ship unloader, as well as construction of a cement terminal, P2.3 billion.
The bulk terminal is expected to handle two million metric tons of cement per year for distribution within Mindanao. Calatrava said shipping to other parts of the country may later be considered.
Construction is expected to commence in November 2024, with berth and cement terminal operations possibly starting in mid-2026, he added.
With the new JV, Calatrava said DICT will soon handle three types of cargoes—containers, breakbulk and bulk.
Currently, DICT has a 730-meter berth, of which 130 meters is for breakbulk and 600 meters for container vessels. The port features 20 hectares of container yard and a 15-hectare empty container depot.
In 2021, DICT completed its expansion, bringing annual capacity to 800,000 twenty-foot equivalent units.
