The Port of Iloilo (Spanish: Puerto de Iloilo) is a seaport located in Iloilo City, Philippines. It serves the city, province of Iloilo, and the entire island of Panay in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines. It is located away from the older port facilities in Iloilo City Proper, on the southeastern coast of Panay, in Iloilo Strait, and one of the country’s safest and most natural harbors.[3]
It is one of the busiest ports in the country, recording 78,679 ship calls, 4 million metric tons in cargo throughput, and 7.6 million passengers in 2023.[4]
The Port of Iloilo has been a hub for international shipping since 1855, facilitating the export of sugar and fertilizer to global markets. Its opening to the world market on September 29, 1855, by Queen Isabella II of Spain,[5][6] revitalized the local economy following the decline of the textile industry. With the inauguration of the Suez Canal in 1869, trade with Europe, particularly the United Kingdom, became more accessible. Nicholas Loney, the U.K. consul, played a pivotal role in this development, and Muelle Loney, the quay along the Iloilo River, is named in his honor.
The rise of the sugar industry spurred an economic boom in Iloilo and its neighboring island, Negros. Iloilo emerged as a leading center of commerce and trade in the Visayas and Mindanao, second only to Manila.[7] Serving as the primary deep-water port for both Iloilo and Bacolod, the capital of Negros Occidental, located 35 miles away across the Guimaras Strait,[8] it handled nearly all sugar and rice trade from Negros during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.[8]
In 2024, International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI) secured a 25-year concession deal to develop and manage the Iloilo Commercial Port Complex. As part of this agreement, ICTSI renamed the facility Visayas Container Terminal (VCT).[9][10]
The Iloilo harbor is situated within the Iloilo Strait, delineated to the north by a line extending from the Dumangas River across the Iloilo Strait to Navalas Point on Guimaras Island, and to the south by a line stretching from Lusaran Point on Guimaras Island to Surraga River in the municipality of San Joaquin on Panay Island.[3]
The Port of Iloilo, considered the primary trading hub and commercial center for Western Visayas, stands out as one of the safest natural seaports in the Philippines.[3] Spanning 20.8 hectares (51 acres) of reclaimed land, the Iloilo Commercial Port Complex boasts extensive facilities, including 11,400 square metres (123,000 sq ft) of operational space, complemented by an additional area of 97,000 square metres (1,040,000 sq ft), equipped with a crane, 348 metres (1,142 ft) of rails, roll-on-roll-off support, a 7,800-container freight station, and a 720-square-metre (7,800 sq ft) passenger shed. With berth dimensions of 400 metres (1,300 ft) in length, 26.26 metres (86.2 ft) in width, and a berthing depth of 10.50 metres (34.4 ft), the port complex caters to vessels navigating international routes.
Several shipping firms utilize the Port of Iloilo, such as Lorenzo Shipping Corporation, 2GO, Amigo Shipping Company, New Panay Shipping Company, Sulpicio Lines, and Trans-Asia Shipping Lines Inc.[3] Fast ferries operate on the Iloilo-Bacolod route eight times daily, while 2GO inter-island overnight ferries connect to Manila, Bacolod, Cebu, Zamboanga and Cagayan de Oro. Fiberglass-made ferries ply the Iloilo Strait to Guimaras throughout the day and offer special trips at night.
Roll-on/roll-off ferry service, or RO-RO, is available between Iloilo City and Guimaras, while the RO-RO to Negros departs from Dumangas, Iloilo, 20 kilometres (12 mi) northeast of Iloilo City.
In 2017 statistics record, the port ranks third in terms of ship calls, with 11,853 recorded, fourth in cargo throughput, totaling 491,719 million metric tons, and fourth in passenger traffic, serving 2.4 million passengers.[11][12]
The port provides bunkering facilities, offered by Pilipinas Shell, Caltex Philippines Inc., Petrophil Corp, and Petroleum Corp. As a key port in Western Visayas, the Commercial Port Complex (now renamed as Visayas Container Terminal[14]) sits on reclaimed land in Lapuz district and is equipped with modern infrastructure.[3]
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The port is mainly divided into the following:
The Port of Iloilo also offers open storage facilities, data listed below: