Truck ban cut cargo volume in 1st quarter

MANILA, Philippines - Cargo volume growth slowed down in the first quarter of the year amid the daytime truck ban imposed by the Manila city government, according to the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA).

PPA general manager Juan Sta. Ana said cargo volume inched up only close to five percent to 44.94 million metric tons from January to March compared to 42.942 million metric tons booked in the same period last year. He did not reveal the previous percentage growth in cargo volume.

Sta. Ana said the percentage of increase could have been higher if not for the daytime truck ban which began in February. The ban, intended to ease traffic flow in the city, gives truckers a window from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Containers pile up inside Manila’s ports – Manila South Harbor, North Port and the Manila International Container Terminal – due to longer turnaround time resulting from the ban.  

Sta. Ana said the PPA and other stakeholders like the Bureau of Customs, shipping lines and cargo owners, were threshing out ways to cushion the impact of the ban.

“Generally, we are happy with the performance of all the ports nationwide that resulted in the increase in cargo throughput. The Manila ports handle the bulk of our cargo and while we expect the truck ban to continue, the agency, along with other stakeholders, will continue to find ways to reduce the effects of the ban to the overall cargo throughput,” he said.

He explained the full effect of the truck ban would be felt more in the second quarter of the year.

“Nonetheless, despite this minor setback, we continue to maintain a cautious optimism in terms of growth in cargo volume nationwide,” he said.

Data showed domestic cargo volume posted a 5.3 percent increase to 20.058 million metric tons from 19.048 million metric tons last year, while foreign cargo grew 4.19 percent to 24.894 million metric tons from 23.893 million metric tons.

During the period, import volume went up 7.2 percent to 15.2 million metric tons from 14.179 million metric tons, while export volume slightly decreased by 0.21 percent to 9.693 million metric tons from 9.713 million metric tons.

Ship calls registered a decline of 5.01 percent to 82,946 calls compared to the 87,321 calls posted last year. Domestic vessel calls declined by 4.97 percent to 80,580 while foreign calls went down 6.45 percent to 2,366 from 2,529 calls last year.

Strong hike in cargo volume was reported in Iloilo, Puerto Princesa and Ozamiz due to the rise in the shipment of metals and cement, increase in the volume of export cargo at private ports in Puerto Princesa, and increase in inbound and outbound domestic cargo in Ozamiz.

Containerized cargo registered a 4.52 percent increase despite flat growth posted at the Manila ports where the MICT handled about 426,444 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) and the Manila South Harbor moved 202,736 TEUs and the North Port, 218,732 TEUs.

Domestic containers, meanwhile, inched up by 1.22 percent to 515,248 TEUs while foreign containers registered a 6.8 percent increase to 784,732 TEUs. Imports increased by 8.25 percent to 390,499 TEUs while exports posted a 5.4 percent rise to 394,233 TEUs.