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Cebu ports handled higher cargo, container, and roll-on/roll-off volumes in the first quarter of 2026
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Cargo volume increased 6.8% to 18.906 million metric tons with both domestic and international cargoes recording increases during the period
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Container traffic expanded 10.2% to 252,970 TEUs while Ro-Ro traffic improved 2.5% to 462,360 units
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Passenger traffic and shipcalls, however, dropped 1.8% and 11.4%, respectively
Cebu ports handled higher cargo, container, and roll-on/roll-off (Ro-Ro) volumes in the first quarter of 2026, according to preliminary data from the Cebu Port Authority (CPA).
Ports under CPA jurisdiction recorded 18.906 million metric tons (mt) of cargo from January-March 2026, a 6.8% increase from the 17.706 million mt handled in the same period last year.
Of the total, domestic cargoes accounted for an 81.7% share with 15.452 million mt, which was also 6.7% higher than the 14.487 million mt posted last year.
International cargoes likewise improved 7.3% to 3.455 million mt from 3.219 million mt, driven by higher imports, which grew 10.1% to 3.107 million mt from 2.821 million mt.
Exports, on the other hand, dropped 12.6% to 347,867 mt from 397,877 mt.
READ: Cebu ports record 11% jump in Jan 2026 cargo volume
The subport of Argao shared the biggest cargo volume during the first quarter with 4.135 million mt or 21.9% of the total. The subport of Toledo came second with 2.566 million mt (13.6%), followed by the subport of Mandaue with 2.435 million mt (12.9%).
Container traffic in Cebu ports expanded 10.2% in the first quarter of the year to 252,970 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) from 229,552 TEUs in the same quarter of 2025.
Contributing 50.2% to the total, domestic containers saw an 18% increase to 127,075 TEUs from 107,676 TEUs.
Foreign containers also rose 4.2% to 123,908 TEUs from 118,910 TEUs with both imports and exports recording growth during the period.
Import containers climbed up 6.9% year-on-year to 57,749 TEUs while export containers grew 2% year-on-year to 66,159 TEUs.
Domestic transshipments, meanwhile, declined 33% to 1,988 TEUs from 2,966 TEUs.
Pier 1 accounted for the biggest share in container volumes for the first quarter with 89,492 TEUs or 35.4% of the total. Cebu International Port (CIP) followed closely with 83,541 TEUs, and Pier 4in third with 66,482 TEUs.
Ro-Ro traffic improved 2.5% to 462,360 units from 451,247 units in 2025. For the first quarter of the year, CPA also recorded 10 imported heavy equipment that passed through Pier 1.
In terms of passengers, CPA ports saw a 1.8% drop to 4.680 million in the first quarter of 2026 from 4.767 million in the same quarter last year.
Ship calls also declined 11.4% year-on-year to 34,065 vessels mainly due to the 11.6% less domestic ship calls at 33,761 vessels. Foreign ship calls, on the other hand, were 18.8% higher at 304 vessels.
READ: CPA gives discounts, suspends port charges
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, is being 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
