Philippine Cargo Throughput for 7 Months of 2007 up to 5.66 MMTs

News was prepared under the information support of Online Daily Newspaper on Hellenic and international Shipping "Hellenic Shipping News".

29 Nov 2007

Cargo throughput from January to August 2007 increased by 5.67 per cent or 5.66 million metric tons (mmt), according to the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA). Atty. Oscar Sevilla, general manager of the PPA, said foreign cargo grew by 12.16 per cent, to 59.091 mmt from 52.684 mmt. Specifically, the export component rose by 30.41 per cent or 5.630 to 24.144 mmt to 18.515 mmt for the period under review. The import component, likewise, recorded an increase of 2.28 per cent from 0.777 per cent, from 34.169 mmt to 34.946 mmt. Sevilla said the total increase was due to the cargoes handled at the ports of Surigao, Nasipit, Puerto Princesa and others. The domestic cargo, on the other hand, went down by 1.569 per cent, to 46.479 mmt in 2007 from 47.220 mmt last year. Overall, container traffic in twenty equivalent unit (TEU) was up by 5.92 per cent compared to the same period last year even with the slight decrease of containerized domestic cargoes because of the shippers' preference to transport fruits via trucks though Strong Republic Nautical Highway (SRNH), Sevilla said.He said the sustained increase of 2,551.089 TEUs for the first seven months of the year as compared to 2,408.498 TEUs last year was due to the active movement of foreign goods, other imports or exports, in various ports under Port Management Office (PMO) in Batangas, Davao, Limay, Zamboanga, Manila International Container Port (MICT), South Harbor and Cagayan de Oro.During the period under review, passenger traffic grew by 0.64 per cent or 0.184 million."This is associated with the increase in fastcraft and roll-on/roll-off (RO-RO) vessels plying the Batangas-Mindoro and Batangas-Romblon, Batangas-Calapan, and Iloilo-Bacolod trips, as well as the influx of passengers heading to tourists destinations such as Puerto Galera, Palawan, Boracay and Tagbilaran," Sevilla said.Vessel traffic was lower by 1.20 per cent compared to last year's figure as domestic shipcalls declined by 1.40 per cent while foreign shipcalls increased by 5.15 per cent for the first seven months of the year.