Port of Manila Cargo Flow Improves
The Port of Manila decongested its yard space by removing some overstaying containers said a port representative.The collaborative synergy between Asian Terminals Inc. (ATI), port authorities and international shipping lines has yielded positive gains in significantly freeing up yard space and further easing cargo flows at the international gateway port Manila South Harbor.As of March 4, yard utilization at Manila South Harbor has reached optimal levels at 65 percent from high 90s in preceding weeks, owing largely to concrete steps taken by its stakeholders, the cooperation of importers and the support of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA).In mid-February…
Manila Ports Utilization Remains Healthy
Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) informed that the cargo volume in the country has registered a modest hike in the first seven months of the year despite the sluggish performances from almost all aspects of local and foreign trade.Latest data from the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) showed that Philippine cargo traffic totaled 147.271 million metric tons (MMT) in the January to July 2018 period or a 2% hike compared to the 144.412 MMT handled in the same period last year.The data also showed that foreign cargo throughput handled is at 87.639 MMT or some 1.64% higher than the figure posted a year earlier wherein import volume handled is at 53.654 MMT and export traffic at 33.985 MMT.
Manila Ports Back at Optimum Utilization
Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) stated that utilization rate at the port of Manila is back to normal after the disruption of operations during the visit of Pope Francis to the country last month. The state-run PPA said in a statement that container yard utilization and vessel waiting time were normalizing as early as the second week of January and continues to improve. PPA general manager Juan Sta. Ana reported that utilization at the Manila International Container Terminal (MICT) of International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) and the Manila South Harbor of Asian Terminals Inc. (ATI) continues to improve to normal levels.
Batangas Port Sets Container Record
Batangas Container Terminal (BCT) set a new record in 2014 for containers handled, says its operator Asian Terminals, Inc. (ATI). Port handled over 98,000 twenty-foot-equivalent units (TEUs) in 2014, its highest total ever. The port operator added that BCT ended 2014 with consolidated throughput of 1.02 million TEUs, up 8.6%. BCT has continuously expanded its role as a comprehensive gateway for Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon), providing shippers direct connectivity to Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, Indonesia and other global hubs through vessels regularly calling the port weekly. Building on the momentum…
'Business as Usual' for Manila Port During Papal Visit
Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) says that the country's major seaports, except the Manila South Harbor, will remain open during Pope Francis' visit to the country from January 15 to 19. PPA general manager Juan Sta. Ana said it is “business as usual” for the Manila International Container Terminal (MICT), North Port, Harbour Centre Port Terminals Inc., and the Tacloban baseport. The clarifications come after reports in the local media that the Manila Port will be closed prompting PPA to suspend operations. However, PPA said in a statement it had advised stakeholders to take additional measures to reduce the commercial impact of the slowdown in operations to give way to the security measures being put in place for the Pope’s safety.
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.
Evergreen Expands its CPH Service Network
In order to offer a more comprehensive service to shippers and importers in the Philippines, Evergreen Line will team up with Cheng Lie Navigation(CNC) to launch the new China-Philippines Service (CPH). Two ships around 1,000 TEU will be deployed on the new weekly service, each operated by the joint service partners. Shanghai - Ningbo - Xiamen - Shekou - Manila (South harbor) -Shanghai. The new service is in addition to the four feeder loops, which Evergreen offers serving the Philippines. This comprehensive coverage of all major ports in the Philippines, includes Manila (both north and south harbors), Cebu, Davao and General Santos, etc. All services connect to Evergreen's global network via either Kaohsiung and/or Hong Kong.
China-Philippines-Thailand (CPT) Express Service
Evergreen Line and China Shipping Container Lines (CSCL) will launch a new joint service, the China-Philippines-Thailand (CPT) Express Service effective mid-March. The new CPT service, which is expected to commence from Shanghai, will operate with three 2,500 TEU vessels. Evergreen will deploy one vessel and two vessels will come from CSCL. China Shipping will use its CSCL Manzanillo V.0021S to launch its first sailing and Evergreen Line will deploy Ital Onore, which will depart from Shanghai on March 26. The port rotation is as follows: Shanghai-Ningbo-Manila North Harbor-Manila South Harbor-Laem Chabang-Hong Kong-Shanghai.
