The Manila South Harbour (MSH), the Philippines’ premier international trade gateway, received a major operational boost as DP World and Asian Terminals Inc. announced the completion of expansion projects.
DP World and ATI have invested approximately US$100 million in projects, including the extension of Pier 3 berth to over 600 metres, yard expansion to accommodate 20,000 TEUs, the addition of two new Ship-to-Shore (STS) cranes, and the purchase of eco-friendly landside equipment.
The recent development projects bring MSH’s annual throughput capacity to nearly 2 million TEUs, growing capacity by over 25% from 1.45 million TEUs previously.
The two neo post-panamax STS cranes, manufactured by Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries, are the largest among MSH’s 11 quay-side equipment and among the biggest ever deployed in the Philippines. With an outreach of 58 metres, each STS crane can handle vessels carrying up to 20 containers wide. Each crane is equipped with modern safety and operational features such as intelligent sensing systems for monitoring speed, vibration, temperature, trailer positioning, anti-collision, and automated diagnostics.
Plans are also underway to deploy electric and hybrid landside equipment, including yard tractors, container loaders and rubber-tired gantry cranes in support of MSH’s carbon reduction initiatives.
Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, DP World Group Chairman & CEO, commented: “DP World is honoured to be partnering the Philippine government in modernising and advancing its critical trade infrastructure, by working closely with our local partner ATI. Investment in ports and logistics brings greater value down the value chain and prosperity to communities, a commitment which we embody in DP World as a trade enabler and leader in smart logistics.”
In 2024, ATI handled almost 1.6 million TEUs in cumulative container volume, over 4% higher as compared to 2023. Of this, MSH handled around 1.3 million TEUs, nearly 8% higher than the total volume it handled the previous year.
For the first quarter of 2025, MSH handled over 350,000 TEUs, over 25% higher compared to the same period in 2024, signalling the strong and resilient growth of the economy.
