DP World to invest $60m in Port of Batangas expansion

The project will boost capacity for cargo, car carriers, and passenger traffic.

Dubai-based logistics company DP World Ltd. is investing $60m to expand the Port of Batangas in the Philippines, aiming to boost the country's capability to handle cargo and passengers.

The project would expand facilities to accommodate container vessels, roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) carriers that transport most of the Philippines’ new car imports, as well as general cargo and passenger traffic, William Khoury, vice president for ports and terminals in Southeast Asia and CEO at DP World Philippines, told Marine & Industrial Report.

The Batangas Port, which is two hours away from Metro Manila, handles more than 200,000 vehicles annually, mostly transported via ro-ro vessels. It manages more than 70,000 deliveries of imported compact cars, sedans, vans, and Asian utility vehicles annually, accounting for more than half of national car sales. 

DP World has managed the facility with local partner Asian Terminals, Inc. (ATI) since 2006.

The $60m expansion will cover the development of additional berths, yard space, and modern cargo-handling equipment. The rollout will take place over the next two years, Khoury said.

DP World and ATI also operate the Manila South Harbour and Tanza Barge Terminal in Cavite province, which was launched in April 2024.

DP World recently completed a $100m upgrade of the Manila South Harbour, including the acquisition of two ship-to-shore cranes, extension of Pier 3 to over 600 metres, and expansion of the container yard to 20,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU). The investment also funded the purchase of eco-friendly landside equipment.

The improvements raised the terminal’s annual throughput capacity to almost 2 million TEUs from 1.45 million. Its ship-to-shore cranes can now handle vessels up to 20 containers wide.

“We have completed this expansion programme today, but we are already in the planning stages of what's coming next,” Khoury said.

In 2024, Manila South Harbour processed about 1.3 million TEUs, 8% higher than a year earlier, according to DP World.
DP World and ATI are also moving toward sustainability. About 20% of their truck fleet has been converted to electric vehicles, with a target to become fully electric within five years.

“We are working together with the government on a master plan to make sure that the growing volume and the growing economy in the Philippines can be serviced efficiently and at optimum cost to the end-consumer,” Khoury said.

Data from the Philippine Ports Authority showed national container traffic rose 13% year on year to 2.04 million TEUs in the first quarter.