The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) assured the public that the country’s major ports are operating efficiently and far from being congested allowing seamless movement of goods and maintaining stability in the supply chain despite increased trade volumes.
In a report, PPA said that ports are also growing bigger and more efficient to meet the global demands amid growing trade volumes.
Data from the agency shows that as of December 2024, the Manila South Harbor (MSH) has a daily average yard utilization rate of 59%, while the Manila International Container Terminal (MICT) registers 71%.
In terms of container traffic, both MSH and MICT recorded growth in throughput. The MSH handled 1.29 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in 2024, up by 6.92% from 1.21 million TEUs in 2023, while the MICT processed 2.95 million TEUs in 2024, a 5.08% increase from 2.76 million TEUs in 2023.
These figures reflect a sustained rise in trade activity, the agency said, citing its efficient port management and strategic improvements in operations.
According to PPA General Manager Jay Santiago, the current yard utilization rates at the Port of Manila remain within optimal levels, ensuring unhampered trade flow.
“Despite the increase in cargo volumes, these figures indicate that ports continue to operate smoothly, preventing backlogs and delays in the movement of shipments. In fact, at any given time, yard utilization at the Port of Manila typically ranges from 67% to 70%, only peaking slightly during the holiday season,” said Santiago.
PPA has been implementing strategic measures to ensure Philippine ports remain competitive and resilient including modernization and expansion of port infrastructure, digitalization of operations to improve efficiency, and close coordination with private terminal operators and logistics providers to optimize resource allocation.
The agency is also enhancing inter-agency cooperation to develop unified solutions for logistics challenges, expanding regional ports to serve as alternative gateways, and establishing a crisis management framework to address potential supply chain bottlenecks. Additionally, PPA continues to invest in disaster-resilient infrastructure and sustainable port operations to support long-term growth.
“Digitalization is the key. As we modernize the port infrastructures, we need to shift to strengthen our transition to digital network to support more efficient operations and further economic growth by the smooth flow of trade and real time data,” Santiago added.
