Cebu
UN/LOCODE PHCEB · Philippines · Asia-Pacific
Crew guide
Shore leave
Cebu is the Philippines' second-largest port and home to a major share of Filipino seafarer recruitment (Cebu School of Maritime and several maritime academies feed the international fleet). Shore leave follows the same Filipino procedure as Manila. Welfare provision via Stella Maris Cebu + Mission to Seafarers Cebu + the strong Cebu chaplaincy network.
Walking distance + transit
Cebu International Port is 10-15 minutes from central Cebu city by agent van — much faster than Manila. The Mactan-Cebu International Airport is on a separate island connected by bridges (30-45 min from port).
Essentials
- ATMs: BDO, BPI, Metrobank everywhere in central Cebu
- Money changers: Ayala Center Cebu, SM City Cebu have clusters
- Hospital: Chong Hua Hospital, Cebu Doctors' University Hospital, Vicente Sotto Memorial
- Prayer rooms: Cebu Grand Mosque
- Halal food: small community, ask welfare centre
- Supermarket: SM Hypermarket, Robinsons, Gaisano open standard hours
- SIM card: Globe and Smart kiosks at airport or any mall
Seafarer tips
Do: use Grab; visit Mactan if you have a free day (the Lapu-Lapu monument is significant for Filipino seafarer cultural heritage). Don't: assume Cebu is the same as Manila — it's quieter, smaller, and traffic is much better. Watch for: Cebu's recruitment industry is dense, so crew-change-related interactions with agents are common; never pay an upfront fee for a job offer.
Last verified: 2026-06-29. Confirm with ship's agent before going ashore — local policy changes.
Cebu (UN/LOCODE PHCEB) is a designated seaport with an adjacent airport in Philippines in the tropical northern Asia-Pacific region. The port operates on Asia/Manila, uses the Philippine Peso (PHP), runs shore power at 220V/60Hz (Type A/B/C). Nearest major airport for crew changes is Mactan Cebu International Airport (CEB), 24 km from the port.
Reference
- Coordinates
- 10.47, 123.83
- Time zone
- Asia/ManilaUTC +08:00no DST
- Local currency
- PHP— Philippine Peso
- Languages
- fil, en
- Nearest airport
- CEBMactan Cebu International Airport~24 km
- Electricity
- 220 V60 Hzplugs A, B, C(country default — verify at berth)
- Climate
- AmTropical monsoon
Country-coastal Köppen zone (most ports cluster on the coast). For port-coordinate resolution use Kottek 2006 0.5° grid.
- Function codes
- 1--4----
seaport · airport
- Port authority
- CEBU PORT AUTHORITY
Operational details
Compiled from public port-authority and P&I-club directories. Always verify current contacts via your agent before arrival.
P&I correspondents
- · Pandiman Philippines Cebu
- · Del Rosario Pandiphil
- · Sapalo Velez Bundang & Bulilan Cebu
Port agents
- · GAC Philippines Cebu
- · Inchcape Philippines
- · ICTSI Cebu handling
ISPS security level (normal): 1
Visayas hub; combined RO-RO, ferry and container; Mactan channel; typhoon corridor Jun-Nov; Cebu Strait swell.
Helplines for seafarers in Philippines
Welfare, abandonment, wages, medical, mental health, harassment — 24/7 lines where available. See full helplines directory.
- AMOSUP (Philippines)Asia-Pacific · Office hours · en, tl
- DMW / OWWA (Philippines) — Seafarer welfare deskAsia-Pacific · Office hours · en, tl
- AMOSUP — Associated Marine Officers' and Seamen's Union of the PhilippinesSouth-East Asia · Office hours · en, tl
- Sailors' Society PhilippinesSouth-East Asia · Mon–Sat · en, tl
- AMOSUP (Associated Marine Officers' and Seamen's Union of the Philippines)Asia-Pacific · Mon-Sat 8-17 PHT · fil, en
- Stella Maris PhilippinesAsia-Pacific · Mon-Sat 9-17 PHT · fil, en
Other ports in Philippines
Port-state-control region: tokyo MoU · how to file a PSC complaint.
Cebu: seafarer FAQ
- Is shore leave allowed at Cebu?
- Shore leave at Cebu is governed by Philippines immigration rules, the flag administration's policy, and the port authority's local rules. Seafarers normally need their seaman's book + a shore-leave permit issued by the agent. Confirm with your agent before going ashore — local policy changes frequently.
- What visa or shore-pass do I need for Cebu?
- Seafarers calling at Cebu on a vessel are generally exempt from regular tourist visas under Convention 108 / 185 (Seafarers' Identity Documents) if their flag administration has ratified the convention and they hold an SID. The standard document is the seaman's book + ship's crew list. Philippines may also require a shore pass issued by the agent. Confirm before you board the vessel — visa rules vary by nationality and by recent immigration-policy changes.
- Is there a seafarer welfare centre at Cebu?
- Yes — 1 seafarer welfare centre is listed for Cebu in our directory. The centres are typically run by the Mission to Seafarers, Stella Maris (Apostleship of the Sea), or a regional ministry, and offer wifi, transport, shop, chaplaincy, and advocacy. Walk-in is normal; no appointment needed.
- Is there a crisis or welfare helpline I can call from Cebu?
- Yes — 6 helplines are listed for Philippines in our directory, plus ISWAN's 24-hour multilingual SeafarerHelp (+44 20 7323 2737) and the ITF Helpline. Helplines handle crisis support, abandonment, wage theft, mental health, and bereavement.
- What's the nearest hospital to Cebu?
- Most major ports have a port-area hospital with seafarer-accustomed admissions; the welfare centre and the ship's agent can both advise. For serious cases, the nearest international hospital is normally in the same city or the next major city. The nearest major airport is Mactan Cebu International Airport (CEB), about 24 km away — useful for medevac planning.
- Is Cebu a recognised crew-change port?
- Yes — Cebu is listed in our directory of recognised crew-change hubs, consolidated from IMO MSC.1/Circ.1636, ICS/IFSMA briefings, and ITF priority-port reports. Recognised hubs typically have better port-state and immigration facilitation for crew-change operations, faster visa processing for seafarers, and more welfare-centre presence.
For the arriving crew
- Pilot ladder (SOLAS V/23) — rigging + inspection + Master's duty of care.
- Pre-arrival checklist — the standard bridge + engine + agent workflow before entering port.
- Ships' agent — role + documentation + interface with pilotage + tug + immigration.
- Currency at port — cash-carrying limits + declaration + safe practices.
- Hours of rest — STCW VIII/1 + MLC A2.3 rest rules during port operations.
Sources & verification (14)
- country_iso3 · ISO 3166-1 (PH)retrieved 2026-05-06
- country_name · ISO 3166-1 (PH)retrieved 2026-05-06
- currency_code · ISO 4217:2015 (PHP)retrieved 2026-05-06
- currency_name · ISO 4217:2015 (PHP)retrieved 2026-05-06
- languages · CIA World Factbook (public domain), national-language listing (PH)retrieved 2026-05-06
- timezone_iana · IANA tz database (Asia/Manila)retrieved 2026-05-06
- timezone_utc_offset · ECMA-402 Intl.DateTimeFormat (computed) (Asia/Manila)retrieved 2026-05-06
- timezone_dst · ECMA-402 Intl.DateTimeFormat (computed) (Asia/Manila)retrieved 2026-05-06
- electricity · IEC TR 60083 plug-and-socket standard list (PH)retrieved 2026-05-06
- function_codes_expanded · UNECE Rec. 16 — UN/LOCODE function-code mask (1--4----)retrieved 2026-05-06
- nearest_major_airport · OurAirports (CC0) — davidmegginson.github.io/ourairports-data (CEB)retrieved 2026-05-07
- wikidata_qid · Wikidata SPARQL (P1937 UN/LOCODE join) (Q1467)retrieved 2026-05-07
- osm_relation_id · Wikidata SPARQL (P1937 UN/LOCODE join) (Q1467)retrieved 2026-05-07
- climate_classification · Kottek et al. 2006 / Beck et al. 2018 — country-coastal Köppen zone (PH)retrieved 2026-05-07
Last verified
High confidenceEditorial confidence: how we grade. Data sources and methodology: /sources.