Cargo
Throughput (in million m.t.) 41.96FOURTH QUARTER 2004
PORT STATISTICAL REVIEW
In the fourth quarter of 2004, Philippine Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was posted at 5.4 percent, listing a percentage gain of 0.4 from the year ago level of 5 percent. The quarter end figure, however, listed a 0.9 percent slowdown from the 6.3 percent record of third quarter. The slump was attested to the typhoons that hit the archipelago in the last two months which resulted to a major setback in the agricultural production in most parts of the country.
The GDP growth was driven by the upward performance of Services, the upswing of the Industry sector and the recovery of Agriculture, Fishery and Forestry as the prime industries of the three major sectors listed positive growths at the quarter end of the year in review. The Services sector improved by 6.7% in the fourth quarter outpacing its 6.5 % growth in the previous year. The Industry sector showed a parallel growth with an upsurge of 6.3% and Agriculture, Fishery and Forestry posted a 1.2% increment.
In general, the Philippine domestic economy managed to record an upward movement in the fourth quarter alongside the consistent uptick marks of the past three quarters of 2004. Consistent with this positive performance, water transport, for its part, correspondingly showed its resiliency as can be observed from the succeeding report detailing the extent of accomplishment of major port indicators.
(PMO North Harbor figures were estimated)
Cargo
Throughput (in million m.t.) 41.96
Domestic 21.75
Foreign 20.21
Import 14.06
Export . 6.15
Container
Traffic (in TEU) 1,005,893
Domestic .449,526
Foreign 556,367
Import ..277,502
Export ..278,865
Ship
Traffic (number of shipcalls) 84,516
Domestic .81,824
Foreign 2,692
Passenger
Traffic (in millions) 13.20
Disembarked ..6.75
Embarked 6.45
The overall cargo throughput handled in government and private ports nationwide for October to December 2004 reached 41.96 million metric tons. This figure recorded a strong performance of 13.82 percent over the 36.87 million metric tons figure of the previous years last quarter.
Among the five (5) port district offices, Manila/Northern Luzon, continued to grip the topmost list of cargo handling load at 18.04 million metric tons of foreign and local sea shipments. Northern Mindanao towed the second largest scale at 7.74 million metric tons, Southern Luzon placed third, moving 7.08 million metric tons while Visayas and Southern Mindanao reflected a volume of 5.78 and 3.32 million metric tons, respectively.
By a single port trend, Batangas held the highest capacity at 5.33 million metric tons of the cargo. Cagayan de Oro, positioned at the second slot, tracked 5.06 million metric tons and Limay labeled as third listed 4.98 million metric tons. The Field Office of Manila International Container Terminal (MICT), which towed 4.03 million metric tons, was placed at the fourth position. At the fifth hole was North Harbor, which bagged 1.88 million metric tons of combined local and foreign goods.
Domestic cargo level surpassed foreign trade tonnage by 7.64 percent during the quarter end in review. At a ratio of 52:48, the total local shipments of 21.75 million metric tons yielded a 2.46 million metric tons surplus or an equivalent of 12.75 % growth from its year ago level. On the other hand, the 2.63 million metric tons surplus of foreign goods outgrew its year 2003 rank of 17.57 million metric tons by a high 15 percent.
Correspondingly, on a single port trend, PMO North Harbor solely handled seventeen percent of the local products at a volume of 3.77 million metric tons. Batangas and South Harbor represented the second busiest ports for servicing 2.12 and 2.11 million metric tons, respectively. At 2.00 million metric tons Limay placed third while Cagayan de Oro and Tacloban were at the fourth and fifth lines with 1.52 and 1.48 million metric tons of local goods transported thru the Philippine harbors for discharging and loading.
Local products that were frequently carried in the leading piers were palay and rice, fruits and vegetables, corn, animal feeds, manufactures of metal, cement, iron and steel, transport equipment and refined petroleum products.
Import tonnage, placed at seventy percent of foreign traffic haul, was posted at 14.06 million metric tons. This figure was also translated into a strong 18% growth from the year ago volume of 11.91 million metric tons. The following were the ports that handled the highest importation tonnages: Batangas, (3.07 million metric tons), Limay (2.72 million metric tons), MICT (2.28 million metric tons), Cagayan de Oro (1.86 million metric tons), and South Harbor (1.41 million metric tons). Wheat, crude minerals, chemicals, fertilizer, mineral fuels, metalliferous ores and scrap, manufactured/commercial goods, cement, iron and steel and refined petroleum products in conventional or containerized packaging were the commonly shipped imported commodities.
The remaining thirty percent, or an equivalent of 6.15 million metric tons of the foreign trade was booked for export activities. This number recorded a nine percent gain from its year ago quarterly level of 5.66 million metric tons. The acceleration was mostly contributed by copra, coconut oil, crude petroleum, crude minerals, metalliferous ores and scrap and refined petroleum products shipped to abroad. These goods were handled in the five-ranking ports of MICT, Cagayan de Oro, Davao, Limay and Tacloban.
By port classification, private ports serviced the majority fifty seven percent of the total goods ranging from 1.29 to 5.48 million metric tons of goods. Cargo volume handled in the private ports was at a ratio of 47:69 or domestic trade against foreign cargo. Private ports which handled the bulk of the traffic were concentrated in Batangas, Limay, Cagayan de Oro, Tacloban, Davao, San Fernando, South Harbor and Pulupandan.
In the same manner, government piers had a share of forty three percent of the total cargo volume, representing 53:31, vis-ΰ-vis domestic over foreign commodities. Majority of these goods were transported in the busy ports or field office of MICT, North Harbor, South Harbor, Iloilo, Cagayan de Oro, Davao and Legazpi.
CONTAINER TRAFFIC
The count for the total Twenty Equivalent Units (TEUs) handled for the fourth quarter was tabbed at one million. The 101,528 TEU surplus rendered a double-digit or eleven percent mark up over the same period last year.
In comparison of the types of container trade, foreign units were higher by local units at a ratio of 55:45. Similarly, incoming and outgoing TEUs were computed at 46:54 for the domestic trade. Foreign container units, then again, were an equal 50:50 share of imports and exports.
Reflective of an upswing in cargo movements, a correlating uptrend in container traffic was recorded in the majority of the yards for the quarter end in review in comparison to the same period last year. The total distribution was spearheaded by MICT at 339,912 boxes or one third of the overall boxes and equivalent to a high sixty one percent of the total foreign container load of the country. South Harbor handled the twenty three percent level of the TEUs. North Harbor, with 137,148 TEUs accumulated fourteen percent of the total and doubled as the domestic premier container carrying port at a haul of thirty percent of the incoming and outgoing local boxes. Davao and Cagayan de Oro successfully delivered 7 % and 6 %, in that order.
By mode of entry, the majority 95 percent of foreign and domestic boxes was carried in the baseports of the archipelago.
For October to December, passenger tally was 13.20 million. Disembarking and embarking totals closely accounted to 51% and 49%, respectively. Lower by 0.16 million from last years level of 13.36 million, a 1.22% decrement was posted for the quarter-on-quarter comparison.
Including the reduction and/or cancellation of ferry or fast craft passenger trips or stoppage of operations of passenger ports, the total was proportionally distributed among the port district offices. Consistently exceeding all other PDOs by the number of passenger ports, Visayas hosted 33 percent of the total passengers. For twenty one percent each, water cruisers traveled to Northern Mindanao and Southern Luzon routes while 17 percent ferry passengers were listed in Southern Mindanao passenger piers. Meanwhile, Northern Luzon ports catered to 7 percent of sea travelers.
Leading as the passenger port throughout the country was Zamboanga, with a recorded 1.52 million passengers, a significant twelve percent share of the total. The second position with eight percent share each was captured by Batangas, Tagbilaran and Tacloban. Both in the third position were Ozamis and Calapan, each posting seven percent of passenger movement. Boarding about six percent side by side of the total passengers, Pulupandan, Iloilo and Legaspi all positioned in fourth slot, followed by Iligan reflecting a five percent total of disembarking and embarking water commuters.
More than three fourths of the passenger total was serviced in the government ports while the remaining 18% was ushered in the private ports.
Passenger record in the following government ports of Zamboanga, General Santos, Nasipit, Davao, Ozamis and South Harbor posted an increment from 6 percent up to 153 percent over the reported figures during the same period last year. Likewise, equivalent downtrend ranging from 6 percent up to 34 percent was the computed rates from the government passenger depots in Iloilo, Surigao, Batangas, Cagayan de Oro, Iligan, Cotabato, Pto. Princesa and Limay.
Similarly, exemplary progress of passenger flow in the private ports of Dumaguete and Iloilo grew by 13 and 100 percent, respectively as against the year ago level. Passenger loss on the other hand, was observed in the private ports under the jurisdiction of Tacloban, Iligan and Ozamis at 19 and 11 percent, successively.
The closing of the fourth quarter 2004 marked another milestone in the water transport sub-sector. Regular, additional or new vessel trips to accommodate cargo and passenger moves were fielded registering a total of 84,516 shipcalls. Although at a minimal rate, this total exceeded its previous years total of 81,789 by 2,727 calls making this last quarters escalation to reach 3 %.
Ports under PDO Visayas topbilled this quarter end by recording thirty four percent of the total vessel calls. Registering twenty three percent, PDO Southern Luzon came in second lead. On the third position, PDO Northern Mindanao listed eighteen percent of the total calls. Ports operating in PDO Southern Mindanao manifested sixteen percent of whole vessel traffic, garnering the fourth slot. PDO Northern Luzon was listed fifth at nine percent.
The busy ports for the quarter were Batangas, Davao, Dumaguete, Pulupandan, Zamboanga, Iloilo, Calapan, Tacloban, Tagbilaran, Cagayan de Oro, Ozamis and Legaspi which collectively anchored eighty percent of the vessels.
By port classification, government harbors sailed seventy percent of the total shipcalls. The remaining thirty percent represented the private ports. Likewise, the majority ninety seven percent stood for local calls and the minimal three percent were international calls.