MICP taking steps to ease Manila port issues

Amid congestion woes, the Manila International Container Port (MICP) on Wednesday said the management is taking measures to ease port problems.

Several organizations over the past months called on the government to address port management issues, including slow release of containers from the ports, long lines of trucks outside the entrance of container yards, and the difficulty in the return of empty containers.

Delays in shipment, the MICP said,  were caused by "the influx of the volume of imports, the high number of overstaying containers, and the mounting issue on the return of empty containers."

To avoid the overstaying of containers in port, MICP said the district collector already established an oversight committee that will hasten their disposal.

As requested by the district collector, the International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) is also repairing the bay doors of the Designated Examination Areas (DEAs) to allow MICP to inspect more containers.

Also, it said that it will work with the ICTSI in moving the overstaying containers to an inland depot to leave more space in the yards.

A Customs Memorandum Order (CMO) is currently being drafted with the MICP that seeks to address the issue of the return of empty containers.

The CMO contains provisions that will discourage storing empty containers in the yards, promoting instead the storage of these containers at a separate depot outside and will allow only empty containers that will be loaded on to the ships to be brought inside the yards.

“MICP is closely working with the port operator, shipping lines, and various stakeholders to address this issue,” said District Collector Erastus Sandino Austria. —Joviland Rita/LBG, GMA News