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CARGO
volume handled in selected Philippine ports posted a
second- straight month of decline in February, a hint
that domestic trade may be slowing down, according to
data from the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA).
Data
also showed that cargo throughput from the PPA’s
jurisdiction slowed down by more than 6 percent to 20.86
million metric tons (MMT) during the first two months of
the year, from 22.24 MMT a year earlier.
Foreign
cargo, which last year posted double-digit growth,
slowed down by 9 percent to 10.15 MMT from 11.18 MMT a
year earlier.
“A hint
of a volatile national economy is manifested in the
trading activities in PPA ports. The decline of domestic
cargo volume at PMO [Port Management Office] South
Harbor is attributed to the reduced vessel deployment of
Aboitiz and the marked decrease of cargoes handled at
Pasig,” the state ports authority said in a report.
At the
government ports in Legazpi, Surigao and Cagayan de Oro,
domestic cargo volumes also shrank between 8.5 percent
and 25 percent, the report said.
Foreign
trading—both import and export—posted declines. The PPA
said it has registered a slower activity in shipments in
ports such as Surigao, which mainly handles mineral
ores—nickel ore from Nasipit; limestone from Tagbilaran;
as well as nickel, copra and chrome shipments from Ormoc.
The PPA
said foreign demand for these commodities have
diminished.
For
imported products, the PPA said it has observed a
decline in lumber handling at Manila North Harbor, as
well as crude and petroleum products at ports in
Batangas and copper cathode and concentrates in the port
of Ormoc.
Container cargo handled at the PPA ports, however,
increased by nearly 5 percent to 615,315 TEUs
(twenty-foot equivalent units) from last year’s 587,432
TEUs. The PPA said it noted increases of volume at the
Manila International Container Terminal and in ports in
General Santos and Davao, which have offset the decrease
in volume handled by the
Manila
South Harbor.
Vessel
traffic also increased by 5 percent to 48,434 vessels
from the previous year’s 46,025.
Passenger traffic also increased for the fifth-straight
month since October last year to 6.56 million from 6.2
million a year earlier.
The Port
of Batangas handled the most number of passengers in all
PPA-owned ports with 842,566 during the two-month
period. The Port of Calapan is the second-most active
with 550,468 passengers, followed by the Port of
Pulupandan with 459,226 and the Port of Zamboanga with
451,257, including foreign passengers. |
