Manila: Philippine authorities are confident that they are now in control of the congestion issue that has crippled trade in and out of the capital for much of the past six weeks. This weekend another 3,000 containers will be shifted to Subic Bay with Manila’s two port operators chartering a Hanjin ship for P14m to move the boxes. A further 4,000 boxes might be shifted shortly too.

“Based on our current inventory, we have to clear about 8,175 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) as we are now below the 90 percent yard utilization threshold,” said the head of the Philippine Ports Authority in a statement.

“The reduction in the number of laden and empty containers suggests that productivity has increased dramatically, resulting in better efficiency in handling cargoes and vessels at the Manila ports,” the PPA boss said.

The congestion was caused mainly by the daytime truck ban imposed by the Manila city government.

The House committee on Metro Manila development passed on Wednesday a resolution urging Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada to suspend the truck ban in his city for three months to help ease the massive congestion in the ports. 
 

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