SITC Container Lines has begun weekly calls to Visayas Container Terminal (VCT) in Iloilo under the revamped China-Philippines Express 7 (CPX7) service.

The expanded service began in March and enhances Iloilo’s trade connectivity with key Asian markets, offering improved reliability, service frequency and cargo handling efficiency, VCT parent firm International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) said in a statement.

The CPX7 service was deployed with the SITC Fujian, a 1,800-twenty-foot equivalent unit capacity gearless vessel that takes full advantage of VCT’s new mobile harbor cranes. The cranes, along with other recent terminal upgrades, enable seamless cargo operations and faster vessel turnaround times, ICTSI noted.

As part of the expanded weekly rotation, the CPX7 service connects Iloilo with Shanghai, Xiamen, Cebu and Cagayan de Oro, strengthening trade access to China’s economic hubs and key domestic markets in the Philippines. The increased frequency also enhances schedule reliability and supply chain efficiency to the benefit of importers and exporters in Western Visayas and beyond.

SITC, a leading intra-Asia shipping provider based in Hong Kong, operates a network spanning 120 ports across the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, China, Japan and other major markets. With this service expansion, ICTSI said Iloilo becomes an integral part of SITC’s growing regional network, further positioning the Visayas as a key trade gateway in the Philippines.

The weekly SITC vessel calls will facilitate the movement of construction materials, fast-moving consumer goods, and general merchandise, while also creating stronger export opportunities for agriculture and fisheries products from the region, ICTSI said.

The introduction of two mobile harbor cranes–currently the largest port equipment in the Visayas–in September 2024 and terminal modernization efforts enables VCT to accommodate larger vessels and increased cargo volumes in support of the continued trade growth in Western Visayas, ICTSI added.

The strategic location and enhanced operational efficiency positions VCT as an ideal hub for businesses looking to expand their supply chains, it noted.

The Philippine Ports Authority in January 2024 awarded to ICTSI the 25-year contract to operate and develop Iloilo Commercial Port Complex, which it renamed VCT.

Under the contract, VCT’s operations will exclusively serve foreign vessels and cargoes. For the first five years, domestic vessels and cargoes will still be catered to until the turnover to Fort San Pedro port. Fort San Pedro will then serve as the designated domestic terminal.

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