Manila South Harbor posts record H1 volume

International gateway port Manila South Harbor, managed by listed Asian Terminals Inc. (ATI), posted its highest mid-year container volume as it kept goods flowing in support of the growing Philippine economy.

For the first six months, Manila South Harbor handled over 560,000 TEUs (twentyfoot equivalent units) of foreign containerized shipment, representing an increase of five percent from the previous year.

The strong first half performance was bannered by a back-to-back 100,000-TEU performance achieved in May and June.

In May, ATI handled an all-time high single-month volume of nearly 105,000 TEUs, followed by over 103,000 TEUs in June.

While volume has increased, ATI said terminal efficiency and yard utilization at Manila South Harbor have remained optimum.

Aside from growing customer preference, ATI cited the efforts of the Bureau of CusPrivate toms-Port of Manila (POM) as positive contributor to the volume upsurge, especially in promoting a private-sector and customer-centric philosophy at the POM, which have resulted in greater port efficiencies.

“Through ATI’s and BOC’s collaboration, we are ensuring the seamless flow of goods through Manila’s main gateway port for a robust supply chain,” ATI executive vice president William Khoury said.

ATI also credits the terminal appointment booking system or TABS, an online cargo delivery scheduling system, for sustaining the orderly and uninterrupted flow of trucks and shipment at the port 24/7.

In anticipation of future growth and aligned with the government’s Build-BuildBuild Program, ATI is spending at least P8 billion in capital expenditures this year to further increase the capacity and efficiency of the ports it operates.

More cargo storage spaces are coming online at Manila South Harbor with the near completion of blocks 143 and 145 adjacent its main container yard and the in-filling of the engineering island basin next to Pier 3.

Completion of ATI’s expansion projects, alongside continuous investment in modern systems and technologies, will increase South Harbor’s annual container handling capacity to over 1.4 million TEUs by 2019 from its current yearly throughput of 1.25 million TEUs.