Port congestion resolved – Palace

MANILA, Philippines - Manila’s port congestion has been resolved, Malacañang said yesterday, noting the various measures that the government and the private sector have implemented to address the problem.

“There was a time that the ports and all the container yards were flooded with empty containers. As of the end of February 2015, this is no longer the situation,” Secretary to the Cabinet Jose Rene Almendras said in a statement.

Almendras said the combined efforts of the Cabinet Cluster on Port Decongestion, the Technical Working Group of various agencies and cooperation from the private sector helped normalize operations at the Port of Manila.

“Over the past three weeks, the ships with berthing schedules were accommodated accordingly. For ships that arrive unscheduled, they were able to dock within 24 to 60 hours from arrival,” he said.

“Since November 2014, more cargo has been moved at a faster rate than prior to congestion. By February 2015, the benefits of a fully decongested port are in place,” Almendras said.

From a high of 105 percent utilization rate during the height of the truck ban in May 2014 to the present 79 percent to 84 percent utilization rates, both the International Container Terminal Services, Inc. and Asian Terminals Inc. show improved efficiency, as ports are maximized to facilitate the flow of trade and cargo, he added.

Almendras said the resolution of the congestion at the port of Manila was a long process and was complicated by many factors such as ship scheduling, loaded and empty container handling and the truck ban hours.

“Although most of the solutions were implemented early in the last quarter of 2014, the sheer volume of the backlog needed several months to be resolved. The long Christmas holidays, Typhoon Amang in January, the feast of the Black Nazarene and Pope Francis’ visit – all constricted the movements and extended the period of resolution,” Almendras said.

He said the enhanced truck ban hours and routes ensured efficient flow of cargo without causing traffic congestion.