New Market Report: Philippines Shipping Report Q3 2013

Exports suffered their first decline in some five months in January, it was reported in March 2013 by Reuters, with export growth coming in below consensus estimates. The slump was attributed to the declining demand for electronics. Economist Jeff Ng at Standard Chartered Bank, Singapore, explained: 'We expect the electronics sector to stabilise in the coming months, given improved semiconductor book-tobill ratio and DRAM prices.'

Nevertheless, we believe that the Philippines may still see a transitory, cyclical recovery in electronics exports within the first half of 2013 in line with a boost in regional trade and improved demand dynamics within the semiconductor industry, providing a potential boost to the country's shipping sector. Additionally, the Philippines' strong remittance position continues to power the country's modest but consistent current account surplus, and we expect this dynamic to remain in place over the long-term.

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The country's outperformer in terms of tonnage throughput in 2013 is forecast to remain the Manila International Container Terminal (MICT), with year-on-year (y-o-y) growth set to come in at over 5%, slightly better than the Port of Cebu, which will, nonetheless, remain the country's busiest port in 2013 in terms of tonnage handled. Modest gains will be the order of the day at the ports of Davao and Cagayan de Oro.

Headline Industry Data

* 2013 tonnage throughput at MICT forecast to grow 5.30% to 21.03mn tonnes.
* 2013 tonnage throughput at the Port of Cebu forecast to increase 4.90% to 28.13mn tonnes.
* 2013 tonnage throughput at the Port of Davao forecast to rise by 2.30% to 4.10mn tonnes.
* 2013 tonnage throughput at the Port of Cagayan de Oro forecast to increase 1.20% to 4.16mn tonnes.
* The real value of Philippines' total trade will rise by 5.50% this year.

Key Industry Trends

Port of Batangas Could Ease Manila Congestion: It has been suggested that the Philippines government should look at easing congestion at the ports in Manila, by better utilising the ports of Batangas and Subic were to see an increase in trade, according to the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Aside from incentives being offered, the organisation recommended that a policy is required that will specifically stipulate the utilisation of the port.

Call for Rise in Manila Ports Tariffs: Calls have been made for cargo handling rates to be raised at the Manila ports due to the raised operating expenses at the facilities. According to BusinessWorld, the Chief Executive of Manila North Harbour Port Inc (MNHPI), Richard Barclay stated: 'We have asked for the tariff adjustment due to increasing labour cost, fuel, power, as well as repairs and maintenance cost.'

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