The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) on Friday unveiled an expanded Manila South Harbor, a P5.7-billion private sector investment by Asian Terminals Inc. (ATI) and Dubai-based DP World, a global partner.

The PPA said the project includes the extension of Pier 3’s berth to over 600 meters, expanded yard capacity to accommodate 20,000 TEUs, two new ship-to-shore cranes — the largest in the country — and new eco-friendly landside equipment that costs nothing from the government but will surely give more to the public.

Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon led the formal unveiling of the newly completed infrastructure, emphasizing its impact on accelerating and modernizing Philippine trade.

“I commend GM Jay (Santiago) and his team for really pushing the private sector partners to provide these world-class facilities not only for our passengers but to (really) improve our supply chain,” Secretary Dizon said.

He noted that what used to be substandard port facilities are now world-class, aligned with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s vision.

The DoTr chief also extolled the Batangas Port Passenger Terminal Building as one of the country’s largest and most modern terminals.

Fully electric cranes

“Our people do not deserve the kind of terminals we had in the past — hot, uncomfortable and lacking proper seating. We deserve the ones like those in Batangas,” he added.

For his part, PPA GM Santiago highlighted the project’s significance, including the operation of the largest and fully electric cranes in the Philippines.

 “With these new cranes, we expect to increase Manila South Harbor’s capacity from 1.4 million to over 2 million TEUs annually. That’s an additional 600,000 TEUs — faster and more efficient cargo handling.”

DP World Group chairman and CEO His Excellency Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem reaffirmed the company’s commitment to the Philippines: “At DP World, we consider the Philippines a major port and logistics hub. That’s why we’re investing in projects like in Batangas and this new expansion.”

 He added, “A lot of people see problems. We see opportunities, and we believe that the Philippines will be able to take advantage of whatever happens in the world today. Even with the height of the customs duty, the Philippines still has the lowest among all the Asian countries in its export to the United States.”

Regarding the recent United States tariff increases, Santiago assured that the Philippine trade outlook remains stable and promising.

“So far, we see no negative impact. The Philippines now has one of the lowest tariffs imposed by the US among Southeast Asian countries, which could make us a more attractive trading partner,” he said.

With the expanded infrastructure and new cranes, the PPA expects faster processing and shorter ship queuing times at Manila South Harbor, ultimately boosting trade flow and efficiency.