ASIAN Terminals, Inc. (ATI) said Manila South Harbor, which it manages, recorded its highest midyear container volume during the first half of 2018.
In a statement on Wednesday, the listed port operator said Manila South Harbor was able to accommodate over 560,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of foreign shipments from January to June, almost 5% higher than the volume it posted during the same period last year.
“In May, ATI handled an all-time high single-month volume of nearly 105,000 TEUs, followed by over 103,000 TEUs in June,” the company said.
ATI noted that terminal efficiency and yard utilization at the South Harbor remained “optimum” despite the higher volume it handled.
“Through ATI’s and BOC’s (Bureau of Customs) collaboration, we are ensuring the seamless flow of goods through Manila’s main gateway port for a robust supply chain,” ATI Executive Vice-President William Wassaf Khoury Abreau was quoted as saying in the statement.
ATI said the online cargo delivery scheduling system, Terminal Appointment Booking System (TABS), helped keep an orderly flow of trucks and shipments at the port.
The port operator has set a capital expenditure of at least P8 billion for the year to fund its infrastructure projects at the Manila South Harbor and Batangas Port.
When its expansion projects are completed, ATI expects the annual capacity at the South Harbor increase to over 1.4 million TEUs by next year from the current level of 1.25 million TEUs.
During the first quarter, ATI recorded a net income of P581.9 million, up 18.6% from the same period last year. — Denise A. Valdez
