By Emmie V. Abadilla
Asian Terminals, Inc. (ATI) sees signs of trade improving, as soon as the middle of this month, after a regional holiday and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Manila South Harbor showed "signs of improvement compared to the latter part of February with vessel calls, especially those from Chinese ports, starting to pick up," according to the port operator.
Likewise, inbound and outbound container flows have sped up pace, with more container inventories recorded at the terminal, although ATI didn't disclose any figures.
The operator maintained it has seen "the same positive improvement trend in the Batangas port."
Both its international gateway terminals in Manila and Batangas are business as usual, with contingency measures in place to ensure unimpeded cargo flow and the safety of its stakeholders.
Ports in China have also resumed operations, which is consistent with the pattern observed in ATI, coming off a sluggish start after the Chinese New Year, traditionally a lean season for global trade.
ATI hopes that the cargo uptrend continues.