Container traffic at Mindanao Container Terminal (MCT) increased 8.7% in the first nine months of 2017 to 168,944 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), up from 155,369 TEUs during the same period last year, data from the Phividec Industrial Authority (PIA) showed.
Foreign boxes accounted for 67.8% of the total with 113,843 TEUs, which is 12% higher than the 101,506 TEUs recorded in the first three quarters of last year. Domestic cargoes likewise posted an improvement with 55,101 TEUs, 2.3% up from 53,863 TEUs last year.
PIA, in an email to PortCalls, said additional volumes are expected to go through MCT in the next few years, coming from new manufacturing firms that will locate at Phividec Industrial Estate-Misamis Oriental Special Economic Zone (PIE-MO SEZ). The plants, which are by food and beverage companies, will be operational in 2019.
MCT is located at PIE-MO SEZ, which is managed, supervised, and administered by PIA. The terminal is operated and managed by Mindanao International Container Terminal Services, Inc.
Ship calls also rose 2.8% to 400 from January to September 2017 from 389 ship calls in the same period last year. PIA said an additional shipping line—Evergreen Line—started regular weekly calls at MCT last October.
Foreign liners calling MCT include MCC Transport, CMA CGM, Mariana Express, APL, and Shandong International Transport Corporation.
Domestic shipping lines regularly calling MCT are NMC Container Lines, Inc., Lorenzo Shipping Corp., and MCC Transport-Philippines.
Asked about plans to expand the terminal, PIA said it is under feasibility study. Plans to expand MCT have been on the table for years, as locators have been clamoring for this to hedge against congestion and to accommodate bigger and more cost-effective vessels. PIA earlier said it has enough space for expansion.
MCT has an annual capacity of 270,000 TEUs and has been recording more than 200,000 TEUs in traffic yearly since 2011, except in 2015. – Roumina Pablo
