Manila Hits a Wall: Hapag-Lloyd Suspends Bookings to Three Philippine Gateways Until Year-End
The empty container crisis in the Philippines has finally forced an extreme response. Hapag-Lloyd has announced that, effective immediately, it will not accept new bookings to Manila (PHMNL), Batangas (PHBTG) or Subic Bay (PHSFS) from any origin on any trade lane, with the suspension scheduled to run through 31 December 2026. For a major carrier to close an entire gateway group for more than two months is rare on Southeast Asian services, and the advisory sets no conditions for an early resumption.
The trigger was a breakdown in empty container returns. On 5 October the Practicing Customs Brokers Association of the Philippines began a digital protest and rest day, asking members to stop generating gate passes, bookings and truck manifests; a day later, five trucking and port groups started a week-long trucking holiday. At the heart of the dispute is depot capacity: truckers wait up to two weeks - and reportedly as long as a month - to return empties, leaving thousands of containers stranded in private yards and blocking slots for laden cargo. On 8 October the brokers' association paused its protest, saying the two terminal operators had resumed accepting empties, though that claim remains unverified and the core demand - that foreign carriers evacuate their empties - is still unmet. The structural problem runs deeper: Manila handles roughly three imports for every export, so far more empties are generated than outbound cargo can absorb. Without new depots, the knot cannot be untied.
The government is catching up. A joint administrative order drafted by five agencies - Finance, Transportation, Trade and Industry, Customs and the Ports Authority - awaits signature and would require carriers to relocate empties and open new depots in Valenzuela, Bulacan, Cavite and Laguna. The Ports Authority has said publicly that the long-term fix is for foreign carriers to build their own empty container yards. Customs, meanwhile, is strictly enforcing the 90-day dwell limit for foreign containers. This is not the first such standoff: in 2018 Manila negotiated a 24-hour cap on empty returns - a reminder that depot scarcity is a chronic problem no single strike can fix.
For shippers, expect tight capacity to the Philippines through year-end. After Hapag-Lloyd's move, other carriers may follow with restrictions or add congestion surcharges, right as the traditional fourth-quarter peak gets under way. Four recommendations from A-Choice. First, confirm with your carrier whether it will match the suspension, line up alternatives, and evaluate routing via southern gateways such as Cebu or Davao where necessary. Second, on imports, watch the 90-day dwell limit closely: complete pre-clearance before arrival and return empties immediately after unstuffing - detention accrues daily. Third, put empty return obligations and congestion surcharge responsibility explicitly into your contracts with carriers and truckers, including who pays when waits run long. Fourth, add at least a week of buffer to fourth-quarter Philippines transit plans and keep consignees informed early.
Southeast Asia is a core trade for A-Choice. The Manila disruption is one more reminder that freight rates are only half the cost equation - destination terminal capability is the other half. Quote both halves honestly, and the peak season is far less likely to catch you off guard.
