[ Malaya.com.ph ] June 23, 2008
Jafza International of Dubai is finalizing plans to build a $200-million 200-hectare logistics center in Subic Bay Freeport, revising an earlier plan by including the airport to be vacated by Federal Express, according to Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) administrator Armand C. Arreza.
Arreza said this would mean Subic can offer another site for the $500-million investment of UK-based Malaysian firm Stratospheric Airship Technologies Sdn Bhd (SAT) to build communication airships.
Arreza said Jafza would wrap up by the end of the month the feasibility study and masterplan for the logistics area covering Boton up to the airport.
He said Jafza prefers a straight lease and self-administration as an economic zone within the Freeport.
The logistics center would involve warehousing, storage as well as movement of heavy equipment.
He said Jafza also plans to bring in its tourism business, which makes the inclusion of the airport more viable.
Arreza said SAT had wanted the area vacated by Fedex but that SBMA is now offering phase 2 of the Subic Bay Industrial Park as site for its project. The company would build solar-powered commercial airships that will carry broadband and telecommunications equipment.
He said SAT is open to other areas, depending on the orders for the airships from Southeast Asia.
"They just need 20 hectares of flat space," he said.
He added that SBMA could also offer the midway area of airport, opposite Fedex but is smaller, at 8 to 10 hectares.
"We will have to wait for Jafza to make a decision but SAT is open to another site," Arreza said.
Arreza said Jafza has brought in its own team of masterplanners, engineers and logistics experts to look at the site.
Jafza was earlier only looking at a 42-hectare property in Boton now occupied by the vehicle auctioneers.
Jafza, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dubai World, operates a free trade zone in Dubai and has 6,000 companies that handle logistics.
Its presence in Subic would enable the company would be able to offer logistics in Asia.
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