Philippine cargo throughput increased slightly in January due to improved export volumes.
Cargo volume grew 1.08% to 12.872 million metric tons (mmt) from 12.537 mmt in January 2011, according to latest data from the Philippine Ports Authority.
Domestic cargo volume rose 2.15% from 5.618 mmt to 5.738 mmt.
Foreign cargo volume grew at a slower pace, at 0.21% from 6.919 mmt to 6.933 mmt. Of these, imports accounted for 4.592 mmt, 1.69% lower than the 4.672 mmt posted in the previous year.
Container traffic advanced 5.93% to 417,842 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) from 394,441 TEUs.
Domestic container traffic soared 19.68% to 162,539 TEUs from 135,810 TEUs.
Foreign boxed cargo traffic, however, declined 1.29% to 255,303 TEUs from 258,631 TEUs. Export boxed cargoes declined 5.29% to 125,739 TEUs from 132,813 TEUs while import containerized cargoes posted a 2.93% rise to 129,510 TEUs in 2012 from 125,818 TEUs.
All indicators for the passage sector went south in January. Total passenger volume reached 4.364 million, down 2.37% from the 4.469 million posted in January 2011.
Domestic passenger volume slipped 2.33% to 4.360 million from 4.465 million while international passenger volume dove 35.17% to 3,192 from 4,924.
Shipcalls grew 3.23% to 29,471 from 28,550. Of the total, domestic calls represented 28,606, up 3.36% from 27,675 in 2011, while foreign shipcalls accounted for 865 from 875, a slide of 1.14%.
Photo courtesy of International Container Terminal Services, Inc
