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The Philippine Ports Authority asserted there is no congestion at the container yard of Manila’s ports
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PPA said cargo processing “remains steady and free-flowing, with no impact on port charges or service delivery”
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PPA general manager Jay Daniel Santiago added that yard utilization levels above the optimum threshold do not automatically indicate congestion
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PPA reiterated that issues raised by stakeholders are related to the handling and return of empty containers, “which is a matter between shipping lines and their designated yards, and not a result of congestion within Manila ports”
The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) has denied the outcry of port users over congestion at Manila ports, asserting that yard utilization levels being beyond the optimum threshold does not automatically indicate congestion.
“Port operations remain normal, with cargo handling and vessel servicing continuing without disruption,” the ports authority said in a social media post on February 17, echoing earlier reported statements by PPA general manager Jay Daniel Santiago.
In a February 2 Viber message to PortCalls, Santiago said high volumes contributed to the high yard utilization. He noted that even though utilization is elevated, throughput handled by Manila terminals was also high, citing in particular the Manila International Container Terminal (MICT) setting a record three million twenty-foot equivalent units in 2025.
“It shows that the Manila terminals are getting more efficient in handling cargoes,” Santiago explained.
READ: MICT handles highest annual container volume at 3M TEUs
He added that the “real issue here is people don’t pull out their boxes during holidays,” noting that ports are open 24/7. He noted that there are cargo owners that still delay withdrawing their boxes even when PPA last year changed their free storage period policy, effectively requiring payment of storage charges sooner.
PPA said for reference, as of 7:00 a.m. on February 16, 2026, the yard utilization rate at the Manila South Harbor, which handles domestic cargo, as of 7:00 a.m. of February 16 was 75.30%, while MICT was at 83.64%.
Despite these figures being above the 70% optimum level, PPA said cargo processing “remains steady and free-flowing, with no impact on port charges or service delivery.”
PPA reiterated that issues raised by stakeholders are related to the handling and return of empty containers, “which is a matter between shipping lines and their designated yards, and not a result of congestion within Manila ports.”
“The Authority continues to closely monitor port conditions to ensure uninterrupted trade and stable supply chains,” PPA said.
In a separate social media post on February 18, PPA said as of 6:00 p.m. of February 17, traffic at MCIT and MSH are normal with no truck queues.
Comments in PPA’s post, however, pointed out that there are no trucks queues because trucks are not doing deliveries as they are still holding onto empty containers that they cannot yet return to container depots, and because February 17 was a national holiday in celebration of the Chinese New Year.
Port stakeholders earlier this month sounded the alarm over the high utilization levels – especially for reefer yard utilization – at MICT and MSH, as well as in empty container depots (ECDs).
Based on the Bureau of Customs’ (BOC) regular updates on yard utilization at the two terminals, MICT’s yard utilization in January 2026 and most of December 2025 was beyond 80% with high reefer utilization. For February, overall utilization was still beyond 80% while reefer utilization ranges from above 90-100%.
For MSH, January utilization rates ranged from 70% to 80% from 60% to 70% in December 2025. In February, utilization levels have improved to mostly around 70%, while reefer utilization was at more than 50%-60%.
Early in February, the Alliance of Container Yard Operators of the Philippines, Inc. (ACYOP) said utilization at their members’ container yards in Metro Manila is between 85% and 90%, while members’ yards in Bulacan and Valenzuela are still at 45%-50%. It must be noted that not all container yards are members of ACYOP.
International Container Terminal Services, Inc., the country’s largest port operator and handles MICT, earlier explained that “… truck capacity is required to pull containers out but all trucks are occupied by empties as depots are full and there is limited demand for empties in China due to Chinese New Year.”
The Association of International Shipping Lines also earlier attributed the situation to “a convergence of seasonal, operational, and logistical factors observed since mid-December of last year.”
READ: AISL addressing high yard utilization through industry engagement
As one of the measures to help address persistently high yard utilization at MSH and MICT, BOC in a meeting with stakeholders on February 13 said it will strictly implement the 90-day dwell time for foreign containers.
Customs commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno will issue a notice to shipping lines this week calling their attention to the dwell time policy, according to Doris Torres, executive director and chair of Training and Education of the Philippine Multimodal Transport and Logistics Association, Inc., one of the industry groups invited by BOC to the February 13 meeting.
READ: PCCBI recommends cut in empties dwell time to ease yard congestion
In a separate statement, BOC said it will look into capacity of container yards, aging of inventoried containers, and a method to determine their real-time utilization, as immediate potential solutions to the high yard utilization.
It must be noted that a draft order requiring offdock operators and other customs facilities and warehouses to automate their inventory management system has been on the table since 2021.— Roumina Pablo
