No more congestion in 2 major Manila ports – Customs

MANILA, Philippines – The Bureau of Customs (BOC) said on Sunday, April 14, that the Port of Manila (POM) and the Manila International Container Port (MICP) are no longer congested.

In a statement on Sunday, BOC Commissioner Rey Guerrero said the combined yard utilization for two of the country’s major ports was decreased to 70%. 

“The continuous decrease in the level of yard utilization at the two major ports is a clear manifestation of the commitment of the officials and personnel of the bureau to address trade challenges,” said Guerrero. (READ: BOC Manila exceeds February target by P5M)

He attributed to the reduction to the BOC’s “robust relationship” with port operators Asian Terminal Incorporated (ATI) and the International Container Terminal Services Incorporated (ICTSI). ATI is in charge of the Manila South Harbor, while ICTSI is the operator in MICP.

District collector Rhea Gregorio said the ATI transferred around 400 overstaying shipping containers from POM to its yard in Santa Clara, Batangas, to free up space.

“About 400 staying containers had been transferred from the Port of Manila to the ATI facility the removal of the remaining containers is ongoing,” Gregorio said.

As for the MICP, district collector Erastus Sandino Austria said overstaying containers there were also shipped to the Laguna Gateway Inland Terminal.

“We have been closely coordinating with international shipping lines on the return of empty containers, and the higher rate of empty container load out has freed up space in the container yard,” said Austria. – Rappler.com