Exports boost port cargo throughput by 12% in 2016

The strong performance of Philippine exports in 2016 boosted the country’s cargo volume by 12 percent versus year-ago levels, according to the latest Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) data.

Export cargoes, which made up 49 percent of the total cargo volume handled by the different ports in the country in 2016, increased by 23 percent from 60.855 million metric tons (mmt) to 74.822 mmt in the comparative period.

On the other hand, import volume, which contributed 51 percent to the total, increased 4 percent to 76.781 mmt.

Overall, Philippine cargo throughput reached 249.567 mmt, 25.895 mmt higher than the 2015 volume. Foreign cargoes accounted for 151.604 mmt or an increase of 12.62 percent while domestic cargoes contributed 97.963 mmt, a 10 percent improvement.

“Our export data suggests that the sector is very healthy,” PPA General Manager Jay Daniel R. Santiago explained.“Trade imbalance has been glaring the past couple of years in favor of imports. But in 2016, we saw both sectors are almost on equal footing.”

“Nonetheless, the PPA is committed to continue streamlining procedures in favor of the cargo owners so they can bring in and ship out more cargoes, this year,” he added.

On the other hand, container volumes also posted growth, rising 12 percent to 6.574 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) from 5.861 million TEUs handled in 2015.

Foreign container volumes surged 14.11 percent to 3.973 million TEUs while domestic boxes rose 9.28 percent to 2.6 million TEUs for the period in review. Total import boxes reached 2.005 million TEUs and Export containers, 1.968 million TEUs where both posted increases of 15.4% and 12.8 percent, respectively.

The ports which registered strong performances include the Manila International Container Terminal and Manila South Harbor for international cargoes, North Harbor for domestic cargoes as well as Cagayan de Oro, Davao, and Iloilo.

Passenger traffic, on the other hand, increased by 8.51% to 68.101 million owing primarily to increasing number of cruise ship arrivals in the country.

Foreign passage volume went up by 8.678 percent to 33.221 million while domestic passage traffic inches up by 8.34 percent to 34.879 million. The increase is due to the government’s eco-tourism programs encouraging leisure travel to tourist destinations such as Boracay, Puerto Galera, Coron, El Nido, and other emerging tourism sites.

During the period in review, a total of 430,451 vessels were serviced nationwide which rose 35,356 or 8.95 percent with both domestic and foreign ship calls posting growth of 8.60 percent and 22.08 percent, respectively.

The improved vessel traffic was a result of increased number of trips of passenger vessels as well as the increased shipment of prime commodities like rice, cement, molasses, fertilizers and fuel, among others.