Refrigerated-container congestion crisis seen looming at Manila port

THE Bureau of Customs (BoC) needs to address congestion at the reefer yard utilization at the Manila International Container Port, with overcapacity raising the threat of spoilage for refrigerated goods, the United Port Users Confederation of the Philippines (UPC) said.

In a letter to Customs Commissioner Ariel F. Nepomuceno on Feb. 3, UPC President Ma. Flordeliza C. Leong flagged the port’s reefer yard utilization rate.

“Operating at over 100% capacity in the reefer segment indicates that the facility has exceeded its designed electrical and spatial limits for temperature-controlled cargo,” she said.

According to a Customs report, reefer yard utilization at Manila International Container Port hit 105.98% on Feb. 2, while overall yard use stood at 81.99%.

By Feb. 6, utilization for refrigerated-container storage had eased to 95.87%, while overall utilization edged up to 82.15%.

Ms. Leong cautioned that power fluctuations and cooling shortfalls could compromise cargo integrity.

She also noted the risk of operational bottlenecks as saturated reefer yards force “double-handling,” slowing truck turnarounds, raising logistics costs for port users, spilling over into general operations.

The UPC urged authorities to fast-track reefer processing and clearance to ease congestion and to review overstaying units.

The group also pressed Mr. Nepomuceno to spell out contingency measures for the 5.98% excess volume at the reefer yard and called for full enforcement of Customs Memorandum Order No. 13-2019 on empty container returns.

Ms. Leong separately appealed to the BoC to order haulers to move empty containers to depots such as EMME Depot Hub in Binakayan, Cavite, which can hold up to 5,000 TEUs, at shipping lines’ expense.

“This can be a temporary or permanent solution for haulers and brokers currently reeling from the problems brought about by these unreturned containers,” she said. — Aubrey Rose A. Inosante