MANILA — Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez echoed the statement of Bureau of Customs (BOC) Commissioner Isidro Lapeña that the Port of Manila is not congested, hence, port congestion cannot be used as an excuse to raise the prices of goods.
In a statement Monday, Lopez said he had a meeting with Lapeña this week, wherein the current situation in Manila port was clarified.
“The line of trucks that gave the impression of port congestion is caused by the policy of port operators to limit the port entry of empty container vans. The space for empty containers is already fully utilized and allowing more may eat up the space for filled containers,” he said.
“We need to clear this issue because perceived port congestion may cause companies to delay their shipments, and consequently may result in lower supply of goods and higher inflation,” he added.
Lopez mentioned that there should be no delay in transporting shipments in Manila port.
According to Port of Manila District Collector Erastus Austria, Port of Manila’s quay crane productivity is at 24.84 moves per day, which is within the international standard of 25 moves per day.
Import dwell time, or the number of days spent at a scheduled stop without moving, in Manila port is seven days. A port is considered as congested if import dwell time exceeds 10 days, he said.
Yard utilization level at Manila port is currently at 85 percent.
“This is in contrast to the 2014 port congestion, when crane productivity was only 15 moves per hour, the import dwell time was 17 to 18 days, and the port utilization was at 96 percent,” Lopez noted.
“The BOC is already increasing their capacity via inland container depots in Laguna and other areas to solve this issue. But rest assured that there is no delay in transporting shipments to and from the port,” the trade chief said. (/PNA)
