Five companies are now bidding for the development of Davao port, an official confirmed with IHS Maritime.
“Yes, there are now five bidders and the names of the companies are correct,” an official with the Philippines’ Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Center said when asked about two new entrants.
San Miguel, a local beer-maker, was the first company to buy the bidding documents.
Davao International Container Terminal and Singapore’s Portek International have joined San Miguel as prospective bidders for the seaport project.
The names of the two other companies have not yet been revealed by the PPP Center.
However, Department of Transportation and Communications undersecretary Rene K Limcaoco reportedly told the Business World Online website that France’s Bollore and Spain’s Obrascón Huarte Lain have bought bid documents for the seaport project as well.
Modernisation of Sasa International Seaport, the main seaport serving the Davao Gulf area, is becoming a flagship project for the government’s PPP strategy.
The port in the southern province will be modernised and then run on a 30-year build-transfer-operate basis.
Official thinking is that a modern port with more container capacity will help accelerate the development of the surrounding area, especially for agro-businesses.
However, other local businesses have been critical of the project’s price tag, which is approximately PHP18.99 billion (USD425.61 million), according to Business World Online. They argue it is beyond the scale and reach of local firms.
This post was sourced from IHS Maritime 360: View the original article here.
