PPA: Passenger, cargo activity at seaports revving up

HOLIDAY RUSH Manila Harbor Center rebrands to Manila Multipurpose Terminal. Jay Daniel Santiago, general manager of the Philippine Ports Authority, said passenger traffic would likely pick up by 30 to 33 percent in 2024while cargo movement would improve by 10 to 13 percent. —PHOTO FROM ICTSI

More shipment deliveries and heavier passenger movement were observed at the local seaports during the first half as the Philippine economy continues to grow, according to the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA).

Latest PPA data showed that cargo throughput for the period improved by 6 percent to 138.29 million metric tons (MT) from 130.08 million MT a year ago.

READ: PPA to invest P16 billion in 14 big-ticket port projects

Container traffic grew by nearly 2 percent to 3.73 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in the first half from 3.67 million TEUs the previous year.

The bulk or 49.99 million MT of cargo passed through the ports in Manila and northern Luzon. Next to them, the busiest ports for the period were in Visayas with 29.39 million-MT shipments.

Meanwhile, passenger traffic grew by 16 percent to 41.48 million in the first semester from 35.84 million in the same period last year.

The concentration of passenger traffic was in Visayas, ferrying 20.6 million commuters during the period.

READ: PH sea cargos recover prepandemic volume

Ro-Ro (roll-on, roll-off) traffic also rose by 10 percent to 5.83 million in the first half.

PPA saw busier operations amid the launching of several port projects to accommodate more cargo and passengers.

Expansion projects

Last year, the ports regulator inaugurated the expansion projects in Port of Coron in Palawan and Port of Calapan in Oriental Mindoro, among others.

The government agency is also in the process of crafting a master plan to develop 10 sea terminals across the country.

These terminals are located in Davila, Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte; Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro; Taytay, Palawan; Buenavista, Guimaras; San Carlos, Negros Occidental; Dumaguete, Negros Oriental; Lazi, Siquijor; Catbalogan, Samar; Zamboanga, Zamboanga del Sur; and Cagdianao, Dinagat Islands.

On the other hand, the Department of Transportation also intends to build and expand 14 Ro-Ro ports in northern and eastern Luzon, Central Visayas and Mindanao.

This year, PPA General Manager Jay Daniel Santiago said that passenger traffic would likely pick up by 30 to 33 percent while cargo movement would improve by 10 to 13 percent. He expects that the usual holiday traffic toward the end of the year will bring more business at the local seaports. INQ