No further plans for Lae Tidal Basin phase two, says Hill

THE Asian Development Bank does not have anything else planned for the Lae Tidal Basin, country director for PNG David Hill says.
Hill was asked by the Port Moresby Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive David Conn about the status of the wharf during ADB’s PNG year-in-review presentation in Port Moresby.
“The Lae project was completed in 2014. The official title of the project was Lae Tidal Basin Phase One,” Hill said.
“There was supposed to be Phase Two that was going to involve PPP to extend the infrastructure and also getting somebody in there to operate the port. That did not happen.
“Current development in the contract has been lent to a Philippine operator ICTSI (International Container Terminal Services Inc), and we’ve got nothing to do with that.
“As far as I know, we don’t have anything else planned for the port at this time.”
The first phase of the Lae Tidal Basin was opened in 2014.
ICTSI recently signed two 25-year agreement to operate PNG’s international wharves at Motukea in Port Moresby and the Lae Tidal Basin.
According to the company’s disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, the terminal operating agreements were signed on July 31 by its PNG subsidiaries, Motukea International Terminal Limited and South Pacific International Container Terminal Limited, with PNG Ports Corporation Limited for the management and development of the two ports.