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Cargoes handled by Cebu ports grew 4.1% to 37.703 million metric tons in the first half of 2025, driven by higher domestic traffic, according to preliminary data from the Cebu Port Authority
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Container traffic at Cebu ports saw a slight improvement in the first half to 478,543 TEUs
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Rolling cargoes advanced 12.4% to 1.025 million units
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Passenger traffic improved 6.1% to 11.124 million
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Shipcalls at Cebu ports rose 6.5% year-on-year to 78,035 vessels
Cargoes handled by Cebu ports grew 4.1% in the first half of 2025, driven by higher domestic traffic, according to preliminary data from the Cebu Port Authority (CPA).
Ports under CPA’s jurisdiction recorded 37.703 million metric tons (mt) from January to June this year, up from the 36.219 million mt posted in the same period last year.
Argao subport contributed the biggest volume, accounting for 21.5% or 8.122 million mt of the total. It was followed by the subport of Toledo with 5.802 million mt.
Domestic cargoes, which represented 81.4% of the total, rose 6.8% in the first half to 30.674 million mt from 28.726 million mt in the same period last year.
Foreign cargoes, on the other hand, dropped 6.2% year-on-year to 7.029 million mt as both imports and exports recorded declines during the period.
Imports fell 6.1% year-on-year to 6.317 million mt while exports decreased 7.1% to 711,171 mt.
Container traffic at Cebu ports saw a slight improvement in the first half to 478,543 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), 0.1% up from 478,003 TEUs last year.
Domestic containers shrank 6% year-on-year to 226,142 TEUs while domestic transshipment dropped 28.4% to 5,514 TEUs.
Foreign containers, on another noted, climbed up 7.5% year-on-year to 246,887 TEUs as exports saw double-digit growth of 13.3% to 132,716 TEUs. Imports likewise increased 1.5% to 114,171 TEUs.
Of the total container traffic in the first half, Pier 1 shared the biggest volume during the period with 164,103 TEUs or a share of 33.3%. It was followed by Cebu International Port (CIP), which handled 158,353 TEUs or a 33.1% share.
Rolling cargoes that passed through Cebu ports in the first half grew 12.4% to 1.025 million units from 911,915 units in the same period last year.
Passenger traffic likewise improved 6.1% to 11.124 million from 10.483 million.
Shipcalls at Cebu ports rose 6.5% year-on-year to 78,035 vessels. Domestic shipcalls, which dominates the total, soared 6.5% to 77,482 while foreign shipcalls also improved 6.6% to 553 vessels.
CPA terminal operations officer for CIP Jan Jeiynold Butaslac earlier said CPA eyes a conservative 1.4% increase in cargo volumes and 2.5% higher passenger traffic at Cebu ports this year after recording growth in 2024.
For 2025, Cebu ports are projected to handle 72.9 million mt of cargoes and 20.088 million passengers.
CPA’s jurisdiction is composed of the Cebu baseport and its subports that are strategically located in different points of Cebu. Cebu baseport is composed of CIP and the domestic zone, while subports include the ports of Mandaue, Danao, Sta. Fe, Toledo and Argao.
A new port, the New Cebu International Container Port (NCICP), meanwhile, will be constructed in Tayug, Consolacion, some eight kilometers from the Cebu base port. Once operational, NCICP will handle international cargo operations while the Cebu baseport will service domestic and bulk and breakbulk shipments.
The new international terminal is seen as the long-term solution to growing volumes handled at CIP, which currently handles foreign cargoes at Cebu baseport. – Roumina Pablo
