Asian Terminals Inc. said Wednesday net income jumped 53 percent in the first half from a year ago on higher cargo volume in Manila and Batangas ports.
The port operator owned by businessman Eusebio Tanco said net profit amounted to P2.14 billion from January to June, up from P1.40 billion it earned in the same period last year.
ATI said revenues climbed 23.5 percent in the six-month period to P7.04 billion from P5.70 billion in the same period of 2018, driven by higher international containerized cargoes handled by Manila South Harbor and Batangas Container Terminal.
MSH handled nearly 650,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) of international boxed cargoes in the first six months”•a new mid-year record for the port and higher by 15 percent than the first half of 2018.
BCT in Batangas continued to expand its role in enabling trade in Southern Luzon and helping reduce road traffic along metro roads, following the completion of a major terminal upgrade early this year.
ATI said that with a bigger terminal footprint complemented by four quay cranes, eight rubber-tired gantry cranes and other modern equipment, BCT facilitated the delivery of more than 160,000 TEUs of foreign boxed cargoes for industries in Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon).
This is higher by 45 percent than its mid-year cargo volume last year, setting BCT on pace to surpass 2018’s full-year throughput of nearly 250,000 TEUs.
ATI also attributed the record cargo volume to port efficiency measures implemented in collaboration with customers, port authorities and other stakeholders. Darwin G. Amojelar
ATI and major international shipping lines signed a terminal and vessel resource sharing agreement called the Empty Loadout Shipping Alliance in February which since paved the way for the immediate evacuation of empties from Metro Manila and nearby environs via MSH.
Nine ELSA-participating shipping lines now regularly pull out more than 10,000 TEUs of empty containers from MSH for recirculation to other Asian destinations on a weekly basis, effectively managing the build-up of empty containers in the supply chain.
ATI also continuously transfers Customs-cleared overstaying boxes from MSH to the Sta. Mesa container yard, following the directives of the Philippine Ports Authority. This contributed to optimized yard space and overall terminal efficiency.
ATI also opened a five-hectare empty container yard in Calamba, Laguna.
