Forklift drivers have applauded a Cebu Port Authority (CPA) plan to develop a USD150-million complex at the Port of Cebu.
The Cebu Port Forklift Drivers' Association (CPFDA) said the plan would increase demand for forklift drivers and provide further safety measures for operators working at the over-congested port.
Part of the plan is the rehabilitation of 1.2km of berth, costing about US38 million, to accommodate rising vessel numbers.
CPFDA president Celestino Noval said the rehabilitation would mean more jobs for forklift operators as more equipment was introduced.
The CPA said the multi-million-dollar expansion project was necessary, as demand at the port, which has direct links to surrounding countries, including Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and Taiwan, had steadily increased in recent years.
The CPA reported a 4.79% growth in container traffic in the first 10 months of last year, to 395,997 twenty-foot-equivalent units (TEUs) from 377,891 TEUs in the same period of 2002.
At least seven firms would bid for the building contract, including the Port of Hamburg and two companies from Australia and Japan.
"We are excited to see this development being started," Noval said.