Asian Terminals Inc. on Wednesday said it recorded its highest mid-year container volume due to the growing Philippine economy.
Manila South Harbor handled over 560,000 twenty-foot equivalent units of foreign containerized shipment in the first six months of 2018, bannered by a back-to-back 100,000-TEU performance achieved in May and June.
The volume represents nearly a five-percent increase year-on-year in step with the country’s economic growth pace.
ATI in May handled an all-time high single-month volume of nearly 105,000 TEUs, followed by over 103,000 TEUs in June.
While volume has increased, terminal efficiency and yard utilization at Manila South Harbor have remained optimum.
Aside from growing customer preference, ATI cited the efforts of the Bureau of Customs-Port of Manila, through the leadership of district collector Erastus Sandino Austria, as a positive contributor to the volume upsurge, especially for promoting a private-sector and customer-centric philosophy at the POM, which have resulted in greater port efficiencies.
“Through ATI’s and BoC’s 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 Khoury said.
ATI also credited the Terminal Appointment Booking System or TABS, an online cargo delivery scheduling system, for sustaining the orderly and uninterrupted flow of trucks and shipment at the port 24/7, as well as its employees, unions, port authorities and other stakeholders for contributing to its milestone achievements.
In anticipation of future growth and aligned with the government’s Build-Build-Build Program, ATI is spending a minimum of P8 billion in capital expenditures this year to further increase the capacity and efficiency of the ports it operates, in line with its investment commitment with the Philippine Ports Authority.