The higher net income was mainly due to an increase in volume brought about by the continued recovery of international trade, favorable container volume mix, and higher revenues from storage and ancillary services. ICTSI handled consolidated volume of 1,171,969 twenty foot equivalent units (TEU) in the first quarter of 2011, 22 percent higher compared to the 962,028 TEUs handled in the same period in 2010. The increase in volume was mainly due to the continued recovery of the global economy particularly in markets where ICTSI’s terminals are located, and the inclusion of the TEU volume generated from the company’s new terminal in Portland, Oregon, USA. Throughput from the company’s container terminal operations in Asia increased 13 percent to 687,196 TEUs in the first quarter of 2011 compared to 610,401 TEUs in 2010. The ICTSI Group’s container terminal operations in Asia accounted for 59 percent of consolidated volume in the first quarter of 2011 with Yantai Rising Dragon International Container Terminal Ltd. (YRDICTL) in Yantai, China, Mindanao International Container Terminal Services Inc. (MICTSI) in Cagayan de Oro, southern Philippines and Davao Integrated Port and Stevedoring Services Corp. (DIPPSCOR) in Davao, southern Philippines registering exceptional volume growth levels of 51 percent, 36 percent and 34 percent, respectively.
Volume from the Group’s container terminal operations in the Americas grew 46 percent to 345,306 TEUs in 2011, from 236,588 TEUs handled in the same period in 2010. The Group’s two operating container terminals in Latin America continued to deliver excellent volume growth in the first quarter of 2011 with Contecon Guayaquil SA (CGSA) in Ecuador posting a 39 percent increase and Tecon Suape, S.A. (TSSA) in north eastern Brazil increasing by 29 percent. This region also benefited from the volume generated by the newly acquired terminal in Portland, Oregon, USA which the Group began to operate in 12 February 2011. The contribution of container volume from the Americas increased from 25 percent to 29 percent.
Container terminal operations in Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), comprised of terminals in Poland, Madagascar, Syria and Georgia, handled 139,467 TEUs in the first quarter of 2011, 21 percent higher compared to the 115,039 TEUs handled in the same period in 2010. Batumi International Container Terminal LLC (BICTL) in Batumi, Georgia, Baltic Container Terminal (BCT) in Gdynia, Poland, and Tartous International Container Terminal (TICT) in Tartous, Syria all registered impressive throughputs with volume growth levels of 294 percent, 25 percent and 11 percent, respectively. EMEA operations accounted for 12 percent of consolidated volume in first quarter of 2011.
First quarter 2011 gross revenue from port operations increased 28 percent to US$154.9 million, from US$120.7 million reported in the same period in 2010. The increase in revenues was mainly due to the growth in volume in all geographic segments, favorable container volume mix, higher storage revenues and revenues generated from the Group’s new terminal operations in Portland, Oregon, USA.
In addition, gross revenue contribution from the Group’s six key terminal operations in Manila, Brazil, Poland, Ecuador, Madagascar and China, which accounted for 89 percent of the Group’s consolidated gross revenue for the quarter, increased 25 percent, from US$109.7 million in 2010 to US$137.2 million in 2011.
Gross revenue from container terminal operations in Asia increased 12 percent, from US$62.8 million in the first quarter of 2010 to U$70.2 million in 2011 with YRDICTL in China, MICTSI and DIPPSCOR in southern Philippines registering exceptional revenue improvements of 55 percent, 57 percent and 43 percent, respectively. Asian port operations accounted for 45 percent of ICTSI’s first quarter consolidated gross revenue in 2011 compared to 52 percent in the same period last year.
First quarter gross revenue from container terminal operations in the Americas was 58 percent higher in 2011 at US$67.7 million compared to US$42.7 m
illion in 2010. The increase was mainly from the exceptional performance of Group’s container terminal operations in Brazil and Ecuador, which grew 68 percent and 35 percent, respectively, and additional revenues generated by the newly acquired terminal in Portland, Oregon, USA. The share of gross revenue from the Group’s terminals in the Americas increased, from 35 percent in 2010 to 44 percent in 2011.
The Group’s EMEA operations, which accounted for 11 percent of the Group’s gross revenue for the quarter, rose 12 percent, from US$15.1 million in 2010 to US$17.0 million in 2011. The increase was mainly due to the terminals in Georgia and Poland, which posted revenue improvements of 189 percent and 17 percent, respectively.
Total consolidated cash operating expenses for the quarter increased 35 percent to US$63.5 million, from US$47.0 million in the same period in 2010 driven by the growth in volume-related expenses and start-up and operating expenses from newly acquired terminal in Portland, Oregon. Excluding the start-up and operating expenses from the terminal in Portland, total cash operating expenses would have only increased by 23 percent.
Consolidated EBITDA increased 26 percent to US$71.2 million in 2011, from US$56.6 million in 2010 mainly due to the strong growth in volume across all geographic segments of the Group and stronger revenues from storage and ancillary services. Consolidated EBITDA margin for the first quarter of 2011 slightly decreased to 46 percent, from 47 percent in the same period in 2010 due to the start-up and operating expenses incurred in the terminal in Portland. First quarter of 2010 consolidated financing charges and other expenses increased by 99 percent to US$13.5 million compared to last year¹s US$6.8 million. The increase was due primarily to the increase in interest expense brought about by the higher debt level and a one-time equity tax charge in the Buenaventura, Colombia project.
ICTSI’s capital expenditure amounted to US$32.4 million in the first three months of 2011 against a full year capital expenditure budget of US$356 million. The established budget is mainly allocated for new projects in Argentina, Mexico and Colombia, and for civil works, systems improvement, and purchase of major cargo handling equipment at its terminal operations in Manila, Brazil and Ecuador.