The Bureau of Customs (BOC) – Port of Iloilo, along with other government agencies and private sectors, welcomed the maiden voyage of MV Kiti Bhum, an international containerized vessel operated by Regional Container Lines (RCL). To mark this significant event in the City and Province of Iloilo, a brief inauguration ceremony was held at the Philippine Ports Authority on July 22, 2023.

RCL’s container ship MV Kiti Bhum, with a capacity of 889 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units), sailed from Singapore to Iloilo, carrying imported containerized cargo. A total of 50 TEUs of imported rice, consigned to Kingfields Rice Solutions Inc., were unloaded at the Iloilo Commercial Port Complex. With a sailing rotation of Singapore-Iloilo-Cebu-Cagayan de Oro-Zamboanga, the vessel is expected to return to Iloilo every two weeks.

“With the development of Iloilo Commercial Port Complex and importation of containerized cargo, the port will serve as an important transportation hub that will facilitate movement of goods to businesses in local communities and worldwide markets,” said a BOC–Port of Iloilo official during the program.

Under the guidance of Customs Commissioner Bienvenido Y. Rubio and with the cooperation of BOC–Port of Iloilo officials and employees, the bureau continues to support the initiatives of the City Government of Iloilo and the Provincial Government of Iloilo, as well as its allied government and private institutions, in fostering economic growth in Western Visayas.