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.
The original target for resolving crowding at Manila’s ports was March, as set by him near the height of the crisis late last year, at a time when delayed shipments were disrupting business operations and raising fears that Philippine competitiveness would suffer.
In its statement, the PPA on Sunday said yard utilization levels have been “hovering around 75% to 79%,” compared to the 80% considered to be an optimal balance between high levels of port usage and the ability of shippers to move cargo in and out of the yards.
“One of the good examples of a good government and private sector partnership is the issue of port congestion wherein both sectors agreed to sacrifice certain aspects of their operations,” Julianto G. Bucayan, Jr., Transportation undersecretary for Project Implementation and Special Concerns, said in the PPA statement.
Aside from dropping yard utilization level in the MSH and MICT, the combined number of vessels waiting at pilot station likewise declined to five excluding vessels currently at berth with a combined total of 10 ships. According to the PPA, vessel turnaround time remains at two days while the average yard productivity for both ports is at 18 moves per hour per crane.
