THE chief executive officer of Saipan Stevedore Co., Inc. says his company may provide the government with discounts to help the CNMI ship out garment waste products.
Roman S. Palacios, who is also the chairman of the Commonwealth Ports Authority, said no deal had been reached yet between SCC and the government, but the company, he added, is willing to provide discounts.
“I just want to help the government with its garbage problem. We want to help in creating a very good impression among the tourists,” Palacios said.
Should the government’s plan to ship out garment waste products push through, Palacios said his firm’s service would be limited to ground-handling.
Starting May 1, the government intends to ship garment waste to Taiwan, South Korea or the Philippines. There are only two shipping firms with regular trips to these countries—Mariana Express Lines, Ltd. which is owned by garment magnate Willie Tan and Kyowa Shipping Co. Ltd.
The government is currently soliciting bids for companies interested to ship out garment waste products. This project is expected to prolong the “life span” of the Puerto Rico dumpsite, which is expected to reach its maximum capacity by September this year.
Garment waste products account for 30 percent of the total waste dumped at the site every day.
