Philippine ports are the only ports in Southeast Asia that posted double-digit growth in cargo volume in 2022 surpassing static volumes of its peers in the region, data from the Drewry Maritime Research showed.
The port strategy report said the Port of Manila was able to handle a total of 5.47 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) in 2022, a 10- percent increase from the 4.98 million TEUs handled in 2021, making it the seventh busiest gateway port in Southeast Asia, including all container, gateway, transshipment and domestic cargo.
The research also showed in terms of gateway volumes, the Port of Manila ranked sixth with a growth rate of 10.7 percent, after handling a total of 3.96 million TEUs in 2022 compared to 3.58 million TEUs in the preceding year.
Ports in the south also demonstrated huge advancements, such as the Port of Cebu which ranked 13th, with a 2.5 percent year-on-year increase after handling 937,052 TEUs in 2022 from 914,111 TEUs in 2021; and the Port of Davao, at the 15th spot, with a 0.1 percent growth, handling 824,898 TEUs in 2022 from 824,343 TEUs in the previous year.
On a per terminal basis, the Manila International Container Terminal (MICT), the Philippines’ largest international gateway, ranked third among the largest gateway ports in the region, excluding transshipment and domestic volumes, after handling 2,508,119 TEUs in 2021 — just behind Westport Kelang Multi Terminal in Malaysia and Saigon NewPort-Cat Lai Terminal in Vietnam.
MICT bagged the 11th spot out of the top 20 terminals in the region while Manila NorthPort ranked 19th.
In a statement, Jay Santiago, Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) general manager, said this success is a product of commitment, hard work and transparency to create more port infrastructures that are at par with global trade.
“The PPA is further improving its level of commitment towards strengthening and evolving Philippine ports to cater global demands. The figures last year as shown in the data is a testament that Philippine ports are one of the leading ports in Southeast Asia,” said Santiago.
The growth in container volume as shown in the research translates into better figures for the economy, creating a ripple effect in all sectors, the PPA noted.
“These figures are not just development in the Philippine ports’ Southeast Asia ranking, these are contributing factors that can positively impact our economy, including transportation, logistics, and manufacturing, generating employment opportunities and contributing to economic development,” Santiago added.
