No port congestion in Manila during Christmas season

The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) on Thursday assured that there will be no port congestion in Manila during the holiday season. (Photo By Philippine Ports Authority, Public Domain)

MANILA — The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) on Thursday assured that there will be no port congestion in Manila during the holiday season.

PPA General Manager Jay Daniel Santiago said port utilization in Manila remains healthy at the start of the fourth quarter of this year providing enough space for the delivery of cargoes intended for the Christmas season.

The yard utilization at the MICT and MSH is at 60.12 percent which is 20 percent below their optimum level of 80 percent.

Productivity in the Manila ports namely, the Manila International Container Terminal (MICT), Manila South Harbor (MSH) and the Manila North Port (MNP) continue to be robust

“It is also worthy to note that both terminals posted at least a 10 percent increase in their respective productivity as of end September, suggesting a fully functional Manila ports,” Santiago said in a statement.

The port utilization rate of 60.12 percent represents around 48,900 containers that are inside terminals while 32,600 container slots remain vacant. It is expected to range within 55-60 percent as the number of containers is expected to increase by 8,000 per day until after the Christmas season.

Furthermore, the MNP has a yard utilization rate of 43.4 percent enabling it to address the increase in demand for passengers.

“With a combined average quay crane productivity of the three terminals at 26 moves per hour per crane, barring any major development, we can guarantee a congestion-fee Manila ports at any given time,” Santiago said.

The PPA likewise expects that the security measures that will be implemented in preparation for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in November will not make a significant impact on the congestion of Manila ports.

The Bureau of Customs’ (BOC) suspension of the use of its green lane and subject majority of imported cargoes to mandatory inspection is not expected to disrupt the smooth flow of goods to and from the terminals.

The ports authority, however, advises all cargo owners to plan ahead the delivery of their cargoes to and from ports to reduce any delays that might occur due to the event.

To date, total container volume reached 4.609 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). The volume is higher by 8.84 pecent compared to the 4.235 million TEUs handled in the same period last year.

About 85 percent of the total or 3.917 million TEUs are handled by the Manila ports wherein 2.703 million TEUs are foreign boxes composed of import and export cargoes while 1.905 million TEUs are domestic containers.

This year, the PPA is anticipating a modest increase in cargo volume of about 5-7 percent after revising a flat growth forecast early this year due to the country’s strong economic growth.