Port cargo volume up 5.48% in 2nd quarter

THE Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) said port cargo volume grew 5.48% in the second quarter, mainly driven by foreign shipments.

Citing preliminary data, the PPA said ports under its jurisdiction handled 83.30 million metric tons in the quarter.

Domestic cargo throughput totaled 29.54 million metric tons.

Foreign cargo throughput was 53.76 million metric tons, up 3.74% year on year.

PPA container ports serviced 2.14 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), up 10.31% from a year earlier.

Passenger traffic rose 13.74% to 26 million in the second quarter.

For the six months to June, cargo throughput rose 7.76% to 149.23 million metric tons.

Container traffic amounted to 4.18 million TEUs, up 11.8% from a year earlier.

In a separate statement, the PPA said it generated P14.68 billion in revenue in the first six months, up 13.70% from a year earlier due to higher vessel and cargo traffic. — Ashley Erika O. Jose