PPA, Port of San Fo strengthen sister port agreement, meet in Manila

 The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) management led by General Manager Juan C. Sta. Ana (left, top photo) welcomes the officials of the Port of San Francisco who visited the ports of Manila. Manila’s port operators, the Asian Terminal Services and the International Container Terminal Services, Inc., briefed the guests on Manila’s port operations while on running tour inside the South Harbor and the International Container Terminal facilities. Said visit by the San Francisco port executives is part of the Sister Port Agreement between the two port authorities. Top photo also shows PPA Assistant General Manager for Operations Raul T. Santos and Assistant General Manager for Engineering Tomas B. Carlos while the lower photo shows Port of San Francisco Marketing Manager James Maloney, Port Commission Vice President William Adams and Maritime Deputy Director Peter A. Dailey.


MARCH 19, 2015, MANILA—The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) and the Port of San Francisco are strengthening their sister port agreement after delegates from the Port of San Francisco Commission inspected the Manila Ports early this week to observe how port operations are conducted in the Philippines.

The visit is only the first under the agreement, which was entered into by both parties last year, to come up with several measures to facilitate the exchange of trade between the Ports of Manila and the Port of San Francisco.

Under their partnership, both parties will share general information, policies and best practices on port planning and building, port management and operations, information technology, personnel training, environmental protection measures, port safety and security, supply chain logistics, cruise tourism, among others.

It is also expected to encourage more trade and business opportunities between the two ports by promoting the relationship and benefits of doing business with the sister ports, and by stimulating port traffic and other port related activities.

The Ports of the Manila, composed of the Manila International Container Terminal (MICT) and the Manila South Harbor (MSH), handle about 85% of the Philippines’s foreign container trade while the Port of San Francisco is America’s gateway to East Asia that offers major assets such as naturally deep water, hundreds of square feet of covered storage, on-dock rails, acres of unobstructed lay-down space and modern and well maintained cargo terminals.

In 2011, the PPA also forged a sister port agreement with Incheon in South Korea, which was primarily aimed at promoting trade and maritime transport between the two countries by way of mutual assistance and port cooperation particularly in the field of port studies, training and apprenticeship, exchange of information, technical assistance as well as traffic development and promotion of services between the two ports.

In 2004, PPA likewise signed a sister port agreement with China’s Guangzhou Port Authority that is intended to facilitate shipments of goods between Guangzhou and the ports of Manila and Davao.

Aside from the Port of San Francisco, the PPA is also currently evaluating a pool of international ports that they plan to offer the same agreement. PPA is entering into such in its bid to increase the viability and competitiveness of Philippine ports and benchmark it to world standards.