SITC Enhances Service at Visayas Container Terminal

Visayas Container Terminal (VCT), operated by International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI), welcomed SITC Container Lines’ restructured China-Philippines Express 7 (CPX7) service, which introduces regular weekly calls to Iloilo starting March 2025.

​The revamped service enhances Iloilo’s trade connectivity with key Asian markets, offering improved reliability, service frequency and cargo handling efficiency. The CPX7 service was deployed with the SITC Fujian, a 1,800-TEU 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.

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 ASEAN, China, Japan and other major markets. With this service expansion, 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. 

The introduction of mobile harbor cranes–currently the largest port equipment in the Visayas–and terminal modernization efforts enables VCT to accommodate larger vessels and increased cargo volumes in support of the continued trade growth in Western Visayas. The strategic location and enhanced operational efficiency positions VCT as an ideal hub for businesses looking to expand their supply chains.

The inclusion of VCT in SITC’s expanded CPX7 service underscores ICTSI’s commitment to enhancing regional trade capacity, fostering economic growth, and reinforcing Iloilo’s position as a key logistics and trade hub.

International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICT) was incorporated on December 24, 1987 to operate, manage and develop the Manila International Container Terminal (MICT), which handles international container cargo at the Port of Manila. In May 1988, the Philippine Ports Authority awarded to ICT a concession to be the exclusive operator of MICT for a period of 25 years. ICT started operating MICT on June 12, 1988. ICT's concession contract for MICT was extended for another 25 years up to May 18, 2038.

The principal business of ICT is the operation, management, development, and acquisition of container terminals. The primary mechanism for the operation of these terminals is long-term concession agreements with local port authorities and governments through ICT and its subsidiaries. ICT and its subsidiaries also provide ancillary services such as storage, container stripping and stuffing, inspection, weighing and services for refrigerated containers or reefers, as well as roll-on/roll-off and anchorage services to non-containerized cargoes or general cargoes on a limited basis.

Currently, the ICT Group is involved in 32 terminal operations, including concessions and port development projects in 19 countries worldwide. There are 9 terminal operations in the Philippines - including an inland container terminal, a barge terminal, and combined terminal operations in Subic - four in Brazil; two in Papua New Guinea; and one each in China, Indonesia, Ecuador, Poland, Georgia, Madagascar, Croatia, Honduras, Mexico, Iraq, Argentina, Colombia, Democratic Republic Congo, Australia, Cameroon and Nigeria. ICT also has an existing concession to construct, develop and operate a port in Tuxpan, Mexico.