Tacloban

1. Tacloban pilot boarding Pilot boards11°27.1′N 124°49.9′E

Size limits

LOA 138m, beam 18.2m, draught 7.6m, 10,000DWT.

Water density

1025.

Load line zone

Summer.

Tides

Irregular (does not follow any pattern).

Deepest first. The draught is the largest any of the terminal's berths states; a dash means the source gives none.

Approach

Inner approaches to Tacloban: Cancabato Bay entered between Cataisan Point (11°14.0'N 125°02.0'E) and Panirugan Point is shallow. San Jose town stands at the head of the bay. A bank, with a least depth of 0.3m over it and 5.5m at its outer end, extends 3.5nm E from Panirugan Point. Its N edge forms the S side of the channel leading to Tacloban and the S entrance to San Juanico Strait. There is a narrow channel, with a depth of 2.7m in it, between this bank and Cataisan Point and Panirugan Point.

The main channel is E and N of this bank. The controlling depth is reported to be 5.8m.

No 1 Buoy marks the E end of the bank extending from Panirugan Point.

A spit, with depths of 5.5m or less over it and a least depth of 1.2m near its S end, extends 0.9nm S from Catinic Point (11°17.0'N 125°02.0'E), on the N shore, 2nm NE of Panirugan Point. No 2 Buoy marks the S edge of this spit.

Port limits

The jurisdictional limits of the port include the Tacloban base/main port and its sub-ports, the municipal and private ports in the area. The main port is a physical part of the city of Tacloban, Eastern Leyte province. It is situated in the centre of the region.

Anchorages

The recommended anchorage for vessels awaiting a pilot is N of Egbert Shoals, which is protected except from S. Vessels of too deep draught to enter the harbour may anchor S of Dio Islet, in depths from 9.0 - 11.0m, mud.

There is anchorage for shallow draught vessels in Tacloban Harbour about 0.5nm NW of Tacloban City Wharf. A mooring buoy is laid 0.5nm NW of the N end of the wharf.

The Quarantine Anchorage, of irregular shape, is centred 0.7nm NNE of Panirugan Point Light structure. It is 0.5nm in length in an E and W direction and 0.25nm in width.

All vessels subject to quarantine must anchor in the quarantine anchorage and await inspection. Any such vessel anchoring outside the quarantine anchorage may not be cleared until it anchors in the proper place. The bottom is clear sand with a little mud. Tidal streams up to 1kt have been experienced. A vessel must not leave the quarantine anchorage until it has been granted pratique.

Tugs

Ship's agent make arrangements for the service of tugs.

Charts and publications

BA 4478, 4476, 4416, 4417. Admiralty Pilot NP33, NP286(4).

Port State Control here: Tokyo MOU.

Running now: the Paris and Tokyo MOU concentrated inspection campaign on cargo securing, 1 September to 30 November 2026. Its questions are published: the questionnaire.

ISPS

ISPS Designated Authority: Office for Transportation Security - DOTC

Address: The Columbia Tower, Ortigas Avenue, Mandaluyong City, Manila, Philippines.

Fax: +63 2 725 4787

For further ISPS information see IMO website http://www.imo.org

Repairs

Available.

Bunkers, water and stores

Fresh water: Available, can be supplied by road tanker.

Bunkers: Bunkering in Tacloban is carried out by large oil companies, namely Shell, Caltex, Petron and Mobil. All bunkering is by road tankers of 6,000-12,000 gallon capacity.

Medical

Tacloban Medical Centre (800m).

Transport

Nearest airport: Daniel Z Romualdez (12km).

Working hours

Throughout 24 hours.

Where it is

Tacloban is located on the E coast of Leyte Island, at the S entrance to the channel which divides Leyte Island and Samar Island.

The port

Following Typhoon damage (11/13) Tacloban port open for limited commercial and relief aid by 19th Nov, with ICTSI deploying various cargo handling equipment including a new mobile harbour crane from Davao. Also a start up team composed of top engineers, operations managers and staff, equipment operators from the Manila International Container Terminal, have been dispatched to support the port operations.

ICTSI will run the Tacloban port free, and will continue to do so up until the close of the government's relief operations and the normal transportation network has been restored.

As cargo handling equipment at both ports was damaged by the typhoon, the majority of operations are limited to self-sustaining vessels or those capable of loading/unloading cargoes, as well as Ro-Ro vessels.

The port offers good anchorage in two areas in depths of up to 10.5m. The port's main commercial interest is the export of copra. Sub-ports within PMO of Eastern Leyte served as smaller port facilities for handling passengers and Ro-Pax vessels.

Traffic

Approx 2,500,000t of cargo, 70,000TEU, 15,000 vessels and 1,500,000 passengers handled annually.

Where does the pilot board at Tacloban?

The pilot boards at Tacloban pilot boarding, 11°27.1′N 124°49.9′E.

What time zone is Tacloban in?

Local time at Tacloban is UTC+8. No summer time.

What is the maximum draft at Tacloban?

The deepest berth listed is at Baseport Tacloban: 7.60 m maximum draught. The "Max draft per terminal" table gives each terminal's figure.

What is the water density at Tacloban?

1025.

Which load line zone is Tacloban in?

Summer.

Who carries out Port State Control at Tacloban?

Port State Control at Tacloban: Tokyo MOU.

What is the UN/LOCODE of Tacloban?

The UN/LOCODE of Tacloban is PHTAC.

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