Aboitiz InfraCapital’s West Cebu Estate: Building on Shipbuilding Success to Attract Diverse Industries

Aboitiz InfraCapital Economic Estates’ West Cebu Estate, one of the key players in the Philippines’ shipbuilding industry, is leveraging its success in the maritime industry to evolve into a promising industrial-anchored mixed-use estate that caters to a diverse array of locators beyond the shipbuilding supply chain integration.

West Cebu Estate, a 540-hectare mixed-use development in Balamban, Cebu and a 60-40 joint venture between the Aboitiz Group and Tsuneishi Holdings of Japan, is known to be home to some of the world’s leading maritime companies such as Austal Philippines, Australia’s global shipbuilder that offers naval, government, and commercial vessels for leading operators worldwide.

Just recently, Austal Philippines delivered the largest, high-speed Catamaran ever constructed in the company’s 35-year history — the Express 5. The 115-meter smart passenger ship, powered by a medium-speed LNG-adapted power plant that offers a powerful, yet economical and environmentally friendly solution, can carry 1,610 passengers and 450 cars that will travel at a speed of 37 knots.

The Express 5 of Austal Philippines is just one of the many world-class maritime vessels built in West Cebu Estate, the Shipbuilding Capital of the Philippines.

“Express 5 is the 21st ship delivered to an overseas operator by Austal Philippines, highlighting the tremendous value added to the Philippines shipbuilding industry since 2012. It’s fitting that our latest and greatest ship is also the largest ever delivered by an Austal shipyard, anywhere in the world. The team is rightly very proud and deserve to be congratulated,” Austal Philippines President Wayne Murray said. “This would also not have been possible without the infrastructure and resources that West Cebu Estate provides us with.”

This milestone signals more than just the success that Austal and similar internationally renowned shipbuilding companies, such as the Tsuneishi Heavy Industries and Advance Catamaran Composites that are also thriving in West Cebu Estate, can achieve. It also serves as a testament to the kind of growth and recognition that West Cebu Estate can facilitate for companies in other industries.

Aboitiz InfraCapital (AIC), the infrastructure arm of the Aboitiz Group, launched the 39-hectare industrial expansion of West Cebu Estate to cater to the growing demands from a wider range of industries beyond maritime businesses. This includes automotives, manufacturing, and logistics.

“We celebrate the success of Austal Philippines and take it as proof that we are ready to welcome a wider mix of locators. While our 30-year track record may have been founded on shipbuilding, this is an opportune time for us to host diverse industries which has always been our vision for this industrial-anchored mixed-use estate,” said Rafael Fernandez de Mesa, President of Cebu Industrial Park Developers, Inc. and Head of Aboitiz InfraCapital Economic Estates.

In a bid to respond to the growing population of Balamban and West Cebu Estate, Aboitiz InfraCapital Economic Estates also announced the development of commercial areas within the estate are slated within the year. This includes West Cebu Exchange, which is a commercial complex that will house food outlets, retail shops, basic services, a supermarket, and a transportation hub.

“Beyond West Cebu Estate’s strategic location, its skilled population and lower cost of doing business make it a viable investment destination that can significantly drive growth in Balamban and the province of Cebu. This is largely underpinned by our expanding employment opportunities, combined with our well-established mixed-use Economic Estate catering to more light, medium, and heavy industries,” added Fernandez de Mesa.

These demonstrate the unparalleled advantages that West Cebu Estate and the larger Aboitiz InfraCapital Economic Estates offer to potential businesses, investors, and surrounding communities.

Aboitiz InfraCapital Economic Estates is at the forefront of elevating the profile of industrial estates in the Philippines through its transformative efforts that drive countryside development, thereby stimulating economic growth, environmental development, and social progress for thousands of Filipinos. Following a two-year streak, Aboitiz InfraCapital emerged as Asia’s Best Industrial Developer during the 2022 PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards.