Manila Port Congestion Could Increase in Short Term
Expecting worse congestion at the Ports of Manila to worsen with the arrival of Pope Francis on January 15, the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) has urged shippers to clear out their cargo from the port by the weekend.
The Philippine Ports Authority says that the next seven days will be crucial in government’s efforts to decongest the ports in Manila, ahead of Pope Francis’ visit as it will further disrupt cargo movements in and out of the congested port. The government has urged shippers to clear out their cargo from the port by the weekend.
PPA said in a statement if yard utilization at the two Manila ports remained at current level during the next seven days, it could easily bring back the ports to congestion level after the five-day papal visit on Jan. 15 to 19, when most activities would be in Manila.
Based on estimates by the Port Congestion-Multisectoral Working Group (PC-MWG), yard utilization will climb by 3 percent a day during the 5-day Papal visit. Shippers and container carriers feel that the congestion continues to delay ships and cargo and affect Asia schedule reliability.
Data from the PPA revealed that as of this week, yard utilization at the Manila International Container Terminal (MICT) is at 90% while the Manila South Harbor (MSH) is at 86.5%.
PPA general manager Juan Sta. Ana said unlike the nine-day Christmas break when all roads were open, the papal visit will close almost all major routes to and from the Manila ports to give way to the festivities which would slow down, if not paralyze port operations
The Philippines is a staunchly Catholic country and three days of the five-day papal visit have been declared special non-working holidays. The five-day papal visit that begins on Jan. 15, as well as the Feast of the Black Nazarene on Friday, would bring traffic to a standstill in the city.
