MHC’s new campaign reduces vessel queueing time

Vessel operations at the Manila Harbor Center

In the second quarter of 2022, Manila Harbor Center (MHC) encountered numerous cases of vessels with improperly packed, marked and stowed cargo, which affected the overall productivity of the terminal. These cases oftentimes resulted in the queueing of vessels sometimes for days prior to berthing.

MHC moved quickly, and launched the Ideal Vessel Requirements (IVR) campaign in October last year to orient clients on best practices for packing, labeling and marking, safe keeping of unit and equipment keys, securing bundled cargo with metal straps, providing adequate and good quality dunnage, allotting sufficient cargo space inside the hatch, and recommending vessel configuration for shipments of steel and other breakbulk cargo.

The information campaign also aimed to encourage port users to utilize vessels equipped with individual cranes that have at least 25 MT safe working load per hatch, and have balanced distribution of cargo in storage.  Cargo should be properly packed and marked for easier identification.

Through extensive coordination with port users and the IVR information drive, the average vessel queueing time quickly declined until the eradication of queueing time in the first of quarter of 2023.  With these results, MHC encourages clients to continue supporting the IVR initiative.

Moving forward, MHC commits tirelessly to providing faster, safer, more efficient and sustainable operations for the benefit of all port users and stakeholders.