The Taiwan International Port Corp (TIPC) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Subic Bay Maritime Authority (SBMA) in the Philippines on Monday on the transit or transfer goods at Kaohsiung Port.
The Philippines has seen phenomenal economic growth in recent years and the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, with 15 piers, is a focus for economic development by the Philippine government as it is close to Clark International Airport and the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, all of which makes Subic Bay a valuable investment target, state-run TIPC said.
Huang Yi-ming (黃一民), senior supervisor of TIPC’s Kaohsiung branch, said the Subic Bay Freeport Zone houses 1,300 companies from around the world, including Taiwanese firms Wistron Corp, Hitachi Taiwan and Tong Lung Metal Industry Co.
These companies need logistics warehouses, and the partnership agreement between the two ports could motivate more manufacturers in the zone to consolidate their products at Kaohsiung Port before shipping them to the US, elsewhere in Asia and to other nations, he said.
Subic Bay has seen 50 percent growth in cargo handled since 2013, and the SBMA has forecast growth of 30 percent this year, he said.
STBA plans to build new piers to accommodate more container ships and TIPC would assist manufacturers in investing in the construction of piers, he said.
The Philippines does not have a well-developed long-distance freight shipping business, TIPC spokesperson Stephen Liu (劉詩宗) said.
“The long-distance shipping business, particularly to the North America, has been Kaohsiung Port’s strong suit. Through Kaohsiung, one can also go on to ports in China,” he said.
Compared with ports in Hong Kong and Singapore, Kaohsiung offers competitive rates for transit goods containers, Liu said, adding that the exchange between the seaports would draw more investments in both seaports.
A fugitive in a suspected cosmetic surgery fraud case today returned to Taiwan from Canada, after being wanted for six years. Internet celebrity Su Chen-tuan (蘇陳端), known as Lady Nai Nai (貴婦奈奈), and her former boyfriend, plastic surgeon Paul Huang (黃博健), allegedly defrauded clients and friends of about NT$1 billion (US$30.66 million). Su was put on a wanted list in 2019 when she lived in Toronto, Canada, after failing to respond to subpoenas and arrest warrants from the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office. Su arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport at 5am today on an EVA Air flight accompanied by a
A 79-year-old woman died today after being struck by a train at a level crossing in Taoyuan, police said. The woman, identified by her surname Wang (王), crossed the tracks even though the barriers were down in Jhongli District’s (中壢) Neili (內壢) area, the Taoyuan Branch of the Railway Police Bureau said. Surveillance footage showed that the railway barriers were lowered when Wang entered the crossing, but why she ventured onto the track remains under investigation, the police said. Police said they received a report of an incident at 6:41am involving local train No. 2133 that was heading from Keelung to Chiayi City. Investigators
The Keelung District Prosecutors’ Office today requested that a court detain three individuals, including Keelung Department of Civil Affairs Director Chang Yuan-hsiang (張淵翔), in connection with an investigation into forged signatures used in recall campaigns. Chang is suspected of accessing a household registration system to assist with recall campaigns targeting Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) city councilors Cheng Wen-ting (鄭文婷) and Jiho Chang (張之豪), prosecutors said. Prosecutors yesterday directed investigators to search six locations, including the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) Keelung office and the residences of several recall campaign leaders. The recall campaign leaders, including Chi Wen-chuan (紀文荃), Yu Cheng-i (游正義) and Hsu Shao-yeh
COVID-19 infections have climbed for three consecutive weeks and are likely to reach another peak between next month and June, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. Weekly hospital visits for the disease increased by 19 percent from the previous week, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) said. From Tuesday last week to yesterday, 21 cases of severe COVID-19 and seven deaths were confirmed, and from Sept. 1 last year to yesterday, there were 600 cases and 129 deaths, he said. From Oct. 1 last year to yesterday, 95.9 percent of the severe cases and 96.7 percent of the deaths