Cargo-handling charges at the baseport of Cagayan de Oro increased 9% following approval from the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA). The new rates took effect on September 27.
In PPA Memorandum Circular No. 10-2015, PPA said “a cargo-handling tariff increase of 9% in addition to the 10% provisional increase granted in 2013 by PPA to Oroport Cargo Handling Services, Inc. (OCHSI) at the port of Cagayan de Oro” has been approved.
In June 2013, PPA granted a 10% provisional tariff hike in arrastre, stevedoring, and other cargo- handling services to all cargo-handling operators, including in Cagayan de Oro, that individually petitioned for higher rates. The rate increase, PPA said then, was a cost recovery measure following the rise in the operational costs of operators.
Philippine Liner Shipping Association (PLSA) executive director Petrona Gatdula, in a text message to PortCalls, said that despite the lack of sufficient time to notify clients and give them time to adjust to the revision in rates, “our members have notified (their clients) and will implement the increase.”
Latest PPA data showed that Cagayan de Oro handled the third highest volume of cargo in the first half of 2015, processing 2.597 million metric tons (mmt) compared to 2.158 mmt processed in the same period last year.
In terms of container throughput, Cagayan de Oro handled 112,352 twenty-foot equivalent units in the first half of 2015, 14.3% more than the 98,311 TEUs handled in the same period last year. – Roumina Pablo
