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The Cebu Port Authority extended to 10 days from four days the free storage period for foreign outbound empty containers at Cebu International Port
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The extension takes effect on March 18 and is part of measures to address transportation and logistics bottleneck, said CPA terminal operations officer for CIP Jan Jeiynold Butaslac at the recently concluded PortCalls Visayas Shipping Conference and Exhibit 2025
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The FSP is to be counted from the day the container is received at/entered CIP
The Cebu Port Authority (CPA) has extended to 10 days from four days the free storage period (FSP) for foreign outbound empty containers at Cebu International Port (CIP).
The extension takes effect on March 18 and is part of measures aimed to “address transportation and logistics bottleneck,” CPA terminal operations officer for CIP Jan Jeiynold Butaslac said in a presentation at the 4th Visayas Shipping Conference and Exhibit 2025 on February 27. Organized by PortCalls in partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry Region 7, the conference was attended by around 200 shippers, cargo service providers and other logistics public and private stakeholders.
The FSP will be counted from the day the container is received at/entered CIP, according to CPA Memorandum Circular (MC) No. 3 series of 2025 dated February 6.
To prevent possible yard congestion at CIP with the new rule, MC No. 3 said CPA, in coordination with the CIP cargo-handler, “shall exercise control whether to accept empty outbound containers at CIP or temporarily stop its admission, especially if the assigned vessel is not yet around or still has no confirmed scheduled for its arrival/departure.”
Storage surcharges under MC No. 1 series of 2016 will apply after the FSP.
Beyond extension of the FSP, Butaslac said there is an ongoing revision of CPA’s access control policy, which he acknowledged is stringent due to the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code, a set of measures meant to enhance the security of ships and port facilities.
Butaslac said the revision aims to offer cheaper rates, lesser documentary requirements, and a more simplified process. – Roumina Pablo
