THE Philippines and Indonesia are exploring ways to re-open the Davao City-General Santos City-Bitung (D/GB) shipping route with a Manila-based shipping company, says Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) assistant secretary Romeo Montenegro
THE Philippines and Indonesia are exploring ways to re-open the Davao City-General Santos City-Bitung (D/GB) shipping route with a Manila-based shipping company, says Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) assistant secretary Romeo Montenegro. Following a meeting on the sidelines of the 2019 BIMP-EAGA Strategic Planning Meeting in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, Mr Montenegro told MindaNews that the two sides agreed to reconvene the Philippines-Indonesia Joint Task Force on the D/GB route to be led by transport officials.
The move comes as a new player, Reefer Express Lines, plans to begin operating the route within the first half of this year with its 100 to 120 TEU vessel, depending on final negotiations between the shipping company and exporters from both sides.
Mr Montenegro said the shipping firm's executives presented its plan to serve the D/GB route with additional calls on other ports in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei en route to Singapore. However, the company has yet to discuss the details with other shippers from the Philippines, Indonesia and even players from Sabah, Malaysia.
He said key senior government officials met to 'discuss the next steps to restart the Davao-General Santos-Bitung shipping link, following submission of formal intent by a new shipping player, Reefer Lines, to serve the route.'
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