Top ​PH international ports handle 5.4% more containers in 2024

• Top Philippine international ports handled 5.4% more containers in 2024 year-on-year boosted by higher imports

• Eleven ports recorded 3.833 million twenty-foot equivalent units last year up from 3.635 million TEUs in 2023

• Imports grew 7.3% while exports improved slightly by 0.02%

• Majority of imports and exports pass through Manila terminals, Manila South Harbor and MICT, accounting for a combined 75% or 2.172 million TEUs of imports and 57% or 523,239 TEUs of exports

Top Philippine international ports handled 5.4% more containers in 2024 boosted by higher imports, based on data from the Association of International Shipping Lines (AISL).

Eleven ports recorded 3.833 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in 2024, up from 3.635 million TEUs in 2023, according to the presentation of AISL director and RCL Feeders Philippines president and managing director Jesus Sedano at the 4th Visayas Shipping Conference and Exhibit 2025. The conference was organized by PortCalls in partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry Region 7.

Sedano said AISL’s data came from terminal operators of the 11 ports, namely Manila South Harbor, Manila International Container Terminal (MICT), Batangas Container Terminal, Subic port, Cebu International Port, Visayas Container Terminal, Mindanao Container Terminal, Davao International Container Terminal, Terminal Facilities Services Corp. (Tefasco), KTC Container Terminal, and General Santos port.

Of the total container volume, 76% were imports, which grew 7.3% to 2.913 million TEUs from 2.715 million TEUs in 2023. Exports slightly improved to 919,823 TEUs from 919,639 TEUs.

Sedano noted imports are on a continuous uptick while exports growth has been flat.

Majority of imports pass through Manila terminals, Manila South Harbor and MICT, accounting for a combined 75% or 2.172 million TEUs of the total. CIP came a distant second with 6.7% or 194,800 TEUs.

In terms of exports, Manila terminals still dominated with 57% or 523,239 TEUs, followed by DICT with 94,349 TEUs or 10.3%.

Excluding Tefasco, import volumes handled by the 10 international terminals in January 2025 grew 5.8% to 264,319 TEUs from 249,730 TEUs in January 2024.

Of the total, laden import containers accounted for 96% or 252,673 TEUs, 7.5% higher than 235,120 TEUs in January 2024. Empties, on the other hand, dropped 20.3% to 11,646 TEUs from 14,610 TEUs.

While international container volumes are growing, Sedano noted several challenges to international trade and shipping in the country.

These include inadequate infrastructure, regulatory and bureaucratic challenges, trade imbalance, slow adoption of digital technology, and high shipping costs.

Another challenge is the lack of solid market data and information that can be helpful to businesses and shipping lines. Sedano also pointed ​out the differences in how trade volume is being counted by different agencies, with the Department of Trade and Industry measuring through free-on-board value, the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) by metric tons and TEUs for ports under its jurisdiction, and AISL by TEUs.

Aside from PPA though, there are several ports that are under the jurisdiction of different port authorities or government agencies​. – Roumina Pablo