Latest data from the Philippine Ports Authority: Port cargo volume exceeded 154 million tons in the first half of 2026, and container and foreign trade exports grew steadily

According to the latest data from the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), the cargo throughput of Philippine ports in the first half of 2026 reached 154.03 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 3.2%; container throughput reached 4.3 million TEU. Driven by the rebound in international demand, foreign trade exports grew strongly by 17.4%, and the proportion of international freight increased to 63.6%. The performance of the Luzon and Mindanao port areas was particularly impressive.

Manila News  ——According to the latest official preliminary statistics released by the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), the cargo and container throughput of major ports in the Philippines continued to maintain a steady growth trend in the first half of 2026, and the significant increase in international trade freight volume became the core engine driving growth.

1. The total freight volume increased steadily, with foreign trade exports becoming the biggest highlight

Data shows that from January to June 2026, the national ports under the jurisdiction of the PPA handled a total of cargo throughput  154.033 million metric tons (MT) , an increase from 149.187 million metric tons in the same period in 2025  3.2% .

In the freight composition, International Cargoes  Dominate the total throughput  63.6% , the total amount reaches  97.938 million metric tons , a year-on-year increase of  7.1% . The growth of international freight is mainly due to the rapid rebound of the export side:

• Foreign trade export volume : Cumulative completion in the first half of the year  42.061 million metric tons , a surge from 35.818 million metric tons in the same period last year  17.4% , showing strong demand for overseas procurement and shipments.
• Foreign trade import volume : Maintained steady and slight growth, reaching 10% in the first half  55.876 million metric tons , slightly increased  0.5% (55.592 million metric tons in the same period last year).
• Domestic trade freight volume : Affected by the adjustment of domestic supply chain, the first half of the year recorded  56.095 million metric tons , a slight year-on-year decline  2.9% .

2. Container throughput exceeded 4.3 million TEU

In the container transportation sector, in the first half of 2026, all Philippine ports have completed a cumulative container throughput  4.30 million standard containers (TEU) , an increase from 4.182 million TEU in the same period in 2025  2.8% .

• Foreign trade container ：Zhan Bida  65.2% , the throughput is  2.803 million TEU , year-on-year growth  2.1% . Among them, import containers increased by 3.6% to 1.428 million TEU, and export containers increased slightly by 0.6% to 1.375 million TEU.
• Domestic trade container : Proportion  34.8% , the throughput is  1.497 million TEU , year-on-year growth  4.2% .

3. Regional port differentiation: Mindanao leads the growth rate, while Luzon maintains its core position

From the perspective of regional geographical distribution, the major archipelago ports present a differentiated growth pattern:

1. Luzon port area : As the core hub of the country’s economy and logistics, Luzon’s port cargo throughput accounts for 1% of the country’s total.  55.2% (85.065 million metric tons, an increase of 1.0%); occupying an absolutely dominant position in the container field, completing  3.281 million TEU , accounting for as much as  76.3% , a year-on-year increase of 2.4%.
2. Mindanao port area : Thanks to the strong export of agricultural products and resources, freight throughput hit the largest growth rate in the region, surging year-on-year.  12.9%  to  40.515 million metric tons , accounting for 26.3%; container throughput increased by 3.0% to 778,700 TEU.
3. Visayas port area : Cargo throughput shrank slightly by 2.3% to 28.453 million metric tons, but container throughput grew against the trend.  8.6% , reaching 240,600 TEU.

4. Comparison table of operation data of major ports in the Philippines in the first half of 2026

5. Trends in Ro-Ro transportation and ship calls

In the first half of the year, inter-island roll-on/roll-off transport (Ro-Ro) performed well, with vehicle traffic reaching  6.876 million vehicles , year-on-year growth  4.9% , reflecting the continued improvement in cross-island material distribution and trunk logistics activity. The total number of ship calls was 331,000 (a decrease of 3.2%), of which the number of domestic trade feeder ships decreased by 3.3%, while the number of large foreign trade trunk ship calls increased by 1.6% to 5,624 ships, showing the industry trend of large-scale single ships and intensive container loading.

6. Industry Analysis and Supply Chain Enlightenment

Data from this period show that the Philippine cross-border trade chain has shown strong resilience under the support of external demand. In particular, the high growth of exports represented by agricultural and mineral resources and industrial manufactured products has provided a solid supply of goods for ocean carriers. For logistics companies engaged in the China-Philippines route and multimodal transport in Southeast Asia, optimizing the stowage of the main port of Manila (Luzon) and the Davao/Cagayan de Oro (Mindanao) route, and closely tracking the customs clearance and ro-ro lighterage connection at the destination port will be the key to coping with peak season cargo volume fluctuations and ensuring the timeliness of contract fulfillment.