![Photo: ICTSI](http://media.assettype.com/bairdmaritime%2Fimport%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F220311-2-ICTSI.jpg?w=480&auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=max)
Manila Harbor Center (MHC), a bulk and breakbulk handling facility in the Port of Manila in the Philippines, is expanding its cargo handling capacity with the completion of new bulk cargo bays (BCB) and dredging of the berths to accommodate larger vessels, International Container Terminal Services (ICTSI) said in a recent statement.
The new development will increase MHC's number of BCBs from two to five, improving the terminal's bulk storage capacity by over 100 per cent from 24,000 to 55,000 tonnes. These cover a combined area of 6,650 square meters, enclosing cargo inside seven-metre walls that help to mitigate the environmental impact of bulk cargo operations by minimising the spread of dust.
For the dredging works, MHC has tapped infrastructure company Prime Metro BMD to further deepen the 865-metre berth in Terminals 1 and 2 and the 240-metre berth in Terminal 3. Once dredging is completed, Terminals 1 and 2 will have a design draught of 10.5 metres and Terminal 3 will have a draught of 8.7 metres.