A milestone achievement had just been reported by the Manila International Container Terminal (MICT), the flagship facility of International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI): the Philippines’ leading international trade gateway handled a record three million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in 2025. This is the first time that the terminal has reached that level in a single year.

The record container was handled on 22 December when the terminal serviced the container vessel Ever Bliss, operated by Evergreen Marine Corp., carrying cargo for Universal Robina Corp.

Reflection of MICT’s capacity to handle higher volumes

MICT chief executive officer Christian Lozano said the result was a reflection of the terminal’s capacity to handle higher volumes while maintaining service levels during the peak season. “Handling three million TEUs shows how the MICT has kept pace with rising demand through continued operational improvements and capacity expansion,” he said.

The increase in volume coincided with sustained investments in equipment and infrastructure during the year. These included the deployment of hybrid rubber-tired gantry cranes, the addition of terminal tractors to support higher throughput, and the terminal’s initial exploration of electric terminal tractors under MICT’s modernization program.

Construction progressing

Construction is progressing on the terminal’s eighth berth, which includes a 300-meter quay and a combined quay and yard development covering 12 hectares. Of this total area, 6.5 hectares are already operational.

Designed with a 15-meter depth, Berth 8 will be able to accommodate container vessels with 18,000 TEU capacities, with delivery of three quay cranes scheduled for 2027.

Once the berth expansion is completed, MICT’s annual handling capacity is expected to rise to 3.5 million TEUs. “Our priority is to deliver consistent and efficient service to customers and ensure cargo continues to move reliably as volumes grow,” Lozano said.

Phl’s largest, busiest container terminal

MICT accounts for about 70 percent of Manila port volumes and remains the country’s largest and busiest container terminal, serving as a primary gateway for international cargo entering and leaving the Philippines.

In 1988, International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) won the 25 + 25 years concession to operate the MICT in an international tender.

Since ICTSI’s takeover, MICT has increased its annual capacity five-fold, expanded its container handling fleet to make it the largest and most modern container terminal in the Philippines, and switched from a manual control system to an integrated real-time IT terminal control system. MICT is ICTSI’s flagship operation.