MICT int’l cargo throughput falls, South Harbor tonnage up

By Arjay L. Balinbin, Senior Reporter

INTERNATIONAL CONTAINER throughput and tonnage at the Manila International Container Terminal (MICT) declined during the third quarter due to the disruptions to trade arising from the pandemic, according to data from the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) obtained by BusinessWorld.

International container throughput in terms of number of boxes at the Manila South Harbor also decreased, but tonnage rose year on year.

According to data provided to BusinessWorld by the PPA’s Port Management Office,  National Capital Region-South, international tonnage at the MICT fell 7.03% year on year to 6,116,788 metric tons. Import volume was 4,896,377 metric tons, down 6.39% from a year earlier, while exports tallied 1,220,411 metric tons, down 9.52%.

In terms of international container boxes, MICT throughput for the third quarter totaled 560,260 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), down 10.85% year on year. Containers for import fell 8.88% to 314,641 TEUs while containers for export amounted to 245,619 TEUs, down 13.26%.

International container tonnage processed by the Manila South Harbor rose 3.60% year on year to 1,682,930 metric tons during the third quarter. Import volume was 1,464,782 metric tons, up 3.82%, while export volume totaled 218,148 metric tons, up 2.11%.

In terms of container box numbers, Manila South Harbor’s international throughput during the quarter fell 8.13% to 291,173 TEUs. Containers for import and export declined 8.15% and 8.11% to 126,669 TEUs and 164,504 TEUs, respectively.

The Manila South Harbor has an annual capacity of 1.2 million TEUs, according to its operator, the Asian Terminals, Inc.

Meanwhile, the MICT can handle 3 million TEUs per year, according to its operator, the International Container Terminal Services, Inc.