DP World builds on trade partnerships in The Philippines

DP World Group Chairman and CEO and Chairman of Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation HE Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem has met with senior officials in the Office of the President of the Philippines to discuss trade and business opportunities.

During the meeting held in Manila with the Cabinet Secretary Jose Rene Almendras, discussions revolved around the government’s plans for development of the maritime sector, privatisation and efforts to develop infrastructure.

Commenting on the meeting, HE Sultan bin Sulayem, said: “We had a cordial and fruitful meeting with HE Jose Rene Almendras who expressed great support of DP World’s operations in the Philippines and praised our contribution to the economic growth of the country. The Philippines is a strategic location for DP World and a key part of our Asia Pacific region operations. We are keen to share our experiences and apply our proven expertise in the marine, logistics and trade sectors to further develop our partnerships there.  We look forward to building on our excellent relations in the future.”

DP World operates four terminals in the Philippines and is a partner in Asian Terminals Inc., which operates the modern South Harbour in Manila, the capital. ATI is the sole container terminal and multi-cargo port operator of South Harbour, the Philippines’ key terminal in the country’s biggest market providing services for containerised and non-containerised cargoes and passengers.

The company also provides integrated port solutions to customers through facilities outside Manila which include:

Port of Batangas – a modern seaport located 110 km south of the capital. Batangas Port handles passengers, ro-ro transport, bulk and break-bulk cargo and Batangas Container Terminal has an annual throughput capacity of 300,000 TEUs.

Inland Clearance Depot (ICD) – located 36 km south of Manila, it serves as a strategic link between manufacturing hubs of South Luzon with the port gateways at Manila South Harbour and Batangas Port.

Port of General Santos – located in the southern Philippines, a multi-cargo terminal which serves as an ideal gateway to the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines regions.

Dubai’s non-oil foreign trade with the Philippines grew by 13% in 2014 and reached AED 2.33 billion by the end of the year compared to AED 2.06 billion in 2013. A growth of 5% in Dubai-Philippines non-oil trade was registered in the first nine months of 2015 from January and surged to AED 1.8 billion compared to AED 1.72 billion in the same period of 2014.

According to the World Bank, growth in the Philippines has averaged above 5% in the past decade. Economic growth was forecast to be 5.8% in 2015, rebounding to 6.4% this year.