Cargo traffic handled by Cebu ports rose 14.5% to 25.841 million metric tons (mmt) in the first nine months of 2014 from 22.561 mmt in the same period in 2013, data from the Cebu Port Authority showed.
The nine-month volume is just 4.743 mmt short of the full-year 2013 traffic of 30.584 mmt.
From January to September 2014, domestic cargoes accounted for 73.1% of the total with 18.883 mmt while foreign cargoes contributed the rest or 6.957 mmt.
For the third quarter alone, cargo volume reached 8.973 mmt, 14.6% higher than the 7.833 mmt recorded in the same period in 2013.
Container traffic from January to September 2014 likewise improved 12.9% to 530,249.25 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) from 469,857.25 TEUs in 2013.
Domestic containers contributed 59.9% of the total with 317,725.75 TEUs, while foreign containers amounted to 212,523.50 TEUs for a 40.1% share.
However, shipping traffic declined 3.8% to 81,441 vessels from 84,660 ships in the first nine months of 2013.
This is due to the decline in domestic carrier calls, as only 80,677 ship calls were recorded compared with 83,950 calls in 2013. Foreign ship calls, however, increased slightly to 764 calls from 710 calls.
Passenger traffic was 4.6% lower in 2014, reaching 12.181 million people from 12.774 million from January to September 2013. – Roumina Pablo
