Philippine ports outlasted the post-pandemic challenges in shipping business and even accelerated their performance last year, a report of an independent global maritime research organization has disclosed.
The good performance of Philippine ports in 2022 led to their classification as among the strongest in Southeast Asia, according to the Drewry Maritime Research.
The Drewry report came barely two months after Philippine ports moved up its ranking—from 60th to 43rd out of 139 countries— in the 2023 World Bank Logistics Performance Index (LPI) which includes effective management and the speed of the movement of containers as key performance indicators.
Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) General Manager Jay Daniel Santiago said the Drewry report includes the data which showed that the Port of Manila was the only port in the region with a double-digit growth compared to the the largest ports in the region with a decline in volumes and other ports in the region recording only single-digit increases.
“This success is a product of commitment, hard work, and transparency to create more port infrastructures that are at par with global trade,” said Santiago.
“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 South East Asia,” he added.
The Drewry report measures the effectiveness of ports through Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit (TEU) which is the exact unit of measurement used to determine cargo capacity for container ships and terminals.
In 2022, the Port of Manila was able to handle a total of 5,474,484 TEUs which marked a significant 10 percent increase compared to the 4,976,014 TEUs handled in 2021.
This made the Port of Manila earn the classification as the 7th busiest gateway port in South East Asia, the considerations include all container, gateway, transshipment and domestic cargo.
The research also shows that in terms of gateway volumes, the Port of Manila ranked 6th, with a growth rate of 10.7 percent after handling a total of 3,962,111 TEUs in 2022 compared to 3,580,642 TEUs in the preceding year.
Other PH ports too
On the other hand, 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.
The Port of Davao, on the other hand, landed at the 15th spot, with a 0.1 percent growth as it handled 824,898 TEUs in 2022 from 824,343 TEUs in 2021.
On a per terminal basis, the Manila International Container Terminal (MICT), the Philippines’ largest international gateway, ranked 3rd amongst the largest gateway ports in the region 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.
Positive economic impact
Santiago explained that good performance of Philippine ports indicated a continued participation in economic globalization.
He said the growth in container volume as shown in the research translates into better figures for the economy, creating a ripple effect in all sectors.
“These figures are not just development in the Philippine ports’ South East 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," said Santiago.