-
Batangas port is expected to handle 3% more cargoes in 2026 and surpass its highest recorded annual volume in 2019 at 311,100 TEUs
-
Batangas Container Terminal, operated by Asian Terminals Inc., recorded 307,392 TEUs in 2025, 14% higher than 270,401 TEUs in 2024
-
ATI assistant vice president for Commercial, Ports & Terminals Reginald Rivera said at least a million more TEUs should be headed towards Batangas this year
-
He said Batangas port is no longer just an option but is now the direction, having more shipping lines providing cargo owners with connections to multiple countries.
Batangas port is seen to handle 3% more cargoes in 2026 and surpass its highest recorded annual volume in 2019 as more shipments gravitate towards the Southern Luzon gateway, according to Asian Terminals Inc. (ATI) assistant vice president for Commercial, Ports & Terminals Reginald Rivera.
ATI’s Batangas Container Terminal (BCT) recorded 307,392 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in 2025, 14% higher than the 270,401 TEUs posted in 2024 and was the terminal’s second highest annual throughput since 2019’s 311,100 TEUs.
Rivera said BCT’s growth has been “exponential” since 2014, surging to 97,361 TEUs from only 6,251 TEUs in 2012. The leap came at the height of the Manila port congestion in 2014. The BCT has since been recording an annual increase, except in 2020 during the COVID pandemic and in 2024 with the Red Sea crisis.
“By 2026, if I annualize my figures, we’ll surpass the 311,000 (TEUs) posted in 2019,” Rivera said in a presentation during the recent 1st Southern Luzon Logistics Conference and Exhibit 2026 hosted by PortCalls.
Rivera said the volumes being handled by BCT are from accounts/areas that were expected to use the terminal when it was still being conceptualized because of its proximity to the port.
“The reason why we had Batangas… is primarily because we wanted to make sure that those that are south of Manila have that option back then to make use when it comes to their cargoes,” Rivera told PortCalls in an interview on the sidelines of the event.
ATI also operates the Manila South Harbor, which handles international cargo.
READ: BOC Batangas, MICP lead 13 ports that surpassed Jan-Apr targets
Asked how much more of the intended volumes can utilize BCT, Rivera said “easily a million, at least a million more TEUs should be headed towards Batangas.”
“And of course, some of the other accounts that are Manila based can actually make use of Batangas as well. End of day, what you want to do is decentralize the trade from Manila, which has been there for the longest time and put it elsewhere, and Batangas is that facility,” Rivera said.
“At some point, Manila – I hate to admit this – but Manila will be saturated. And then you guys (traders) will have eventually go to Batangas and bakit hindi pa ngayon, ‘di ba (why not do it now, right)?” he added.
More shipping lines
Rivera said Batangas port is no longer just an option but is now the direction. He pointed out that the port now has more shipping lines providing cargo owners with connections to multiple countries.
Currently, Maersk, MSC, CMA CGM, SITC, Evergreen, RCL, and Hapag-Lloyd are providing services to and from Batangas port. A CMA CGM vessel is also set to start a service in August that will provide direct connection to Japan from Batangas.
Even with higher volumes, Rivera also noted that yard utilization at the terminal averages around 50% as consignees are picking up their cargoes quicker. With the help of government partners such as the Bureau of Customs, BCT has also reduced the processing times for cargoes.
READ: BOC-Batangas surpasses midyear target with P120.9B
Moreover, BCT’s proximity to various economic zones/industrial parks in Southern Luzon allows for less travel time compared to Manila and more truck trips daily. Rivera noted that some locators in Sta. Rosa and San Pedro in Laguna are using Batangas port even though Manila port is closer because the travel time to Batangas is quicker.
Aside from containers, Batangas port in 2025 also handled 21,000 TEUs of domestic cargo, 207,000 completely-built units (CBUs) in its international terminal, 47,000 CBUs in its domestic terminal, and 2.81 million outbound passengers.
READ: Port developments strengthen Batangas position as cargo hub — DOF chief
The port is also serviced by domestic carriers handling general cargo, and these include Super Shuttle RoRo, 2GO, Gothong Shipping, and Fujitrans.— Roumina Pablo
