Manila
UN/LOCODE PHMNL · Philippines · Asia-Pacific
Crew guide
Shore leave
Manila is the Philippines' principal port and the world's single largest source country for international merchant seafarers. Shore leave is granted with a seaman's book + shore pass under standard procedure. Welfare provision via Stella Maris Manila + Sailors' Society + multiple Philippine seafarer welfare organisations. Almost every Filipino seafarer passes through Manila for crew change at some point in their career.
Walking distance + transit
Manila South Harbor and North Harbor are 10-20 minutes from Intramuros / central Manila. The Manila International Container Terminal (MICT) is 25-40 minutes from city centre. Manila traffic is severe — budget 50% more time than the map shows.
Essentials
- ATMs: BDO, BPI, Metrobank everywhere; SM and Robinsons malls have ATM clusters
- Money changers: SM Mall of Asia, Robinsons Manila, Intramuros area
- Hospital: Makati Medical Center (premium), Manila Doctors Hospital, Philippine General Hospital (public)
- Prayer rooms: Quiapo Mosque is the principal Manila mosque
- Halal food: small Muslim community in Quiapo; major malls have halal options
- Supermarket: SM Hypermarket, Robinsons Supermarket, Puregold open 7am-10pm
- SIM card: Globe, Smart, DITO at any 7-Eleven, mall, or airport; PHP200-300 for 30-day plan
Seafarer tips
Do: use Grab; always negotiate taxi fares in advance if not using Grab. Don't: walk in unfamiliar areas after dark — petty crime is real. Watch for: Manila's traffic can mean missing crew-change windows. The welfare centres run reliable van services. The POEA (Philippine Overseas Employment Administration) processes Filipino seafarer paperwork; if you're a Filipino seafarer with a recruitment dispute, POEA is the first stop.
Last verified: 2026-06-29. Confirm with ship's agent before going ashore — local policy changes.
Manila (UN/LOCODE PHMNL) 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 Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL), 10 km from the port.
Reference
- Coordinates
- 14.5904492, 120.9803621
- Time zone
- Asia/ManilaUTC +08:00no DST
- Local currency
- PHP— Philippine Peso
- Languages
- fil, en
- Nearest airport
- MNLNinoy Aquino International Airport~10 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--45---
seaport · airport · postal exchange
- Port authority
- Philippine Ports Authority(PPA)
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
- · Del Rosario Pandiphil Manila
- · Saturnino & Saturnino
Port agents
- · AMOSUP-affiliated agencies
- · Wallem Philippines
- · ICTSI port handling
ISPS security level (normal): 1
Manila South Harbor + MICT (Manila International Container Terminal); typhoon season Jun-Nov; Bataan / Cavite typhoon shelter.
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
Survival information
Practical information for crew arriving here. Verified where possible — see sources. Spot a mistake or missing detail? Tell us.
Emergency contacts
- Philippines Emergency (NDRRMC): 911 · 24/7
- Philippine Coast Guard Manila: +63 2 8527 8481 · 24/7
- AMOSUP head office: +63 2 8527 8401 · business hours
Hospitals / clinics
- Philippine General HospitalTaft Avenue, Ermita, Manila
- Manila Doctors Hospital
Shore leave
Philippines generally permits shore leave for foreign crew under a port shore-pass arranged by the agent. Filipino nationals are subject to standard Philippine immigration on sign-on / sign-off. Reference: immigration.gov.ph.
Plan it: /tools/shore-leave-port-card
Transport
Nearest major airport: Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL (~10 km)). Vessel agent normally arranges taxi or seafarer-centre shuttle to/from the airport at sign-on / sign-off. Confirm transport with the agent at least 24 hours before disembarkation.
SIM & Wi-Fi
Major operators: Globe, Smart, DITO. Tourist SIM at MNL/CEB airport or 7-Eleven citywide. Free Wi-Fi at AMOSUP Cardinal Sin Building + Stella Maris Manila + Mariner Club Manila.
Consular contacts
Related rights: shore leave · medical care · abandonment · unpaid wages.
Port-state-control region: tokyo MoU · how to file a PSC complaint.
Manila: seafarer FAQ
- Is shore leave allowed at Manila?
- Shore leave at Manila: Philippines generally permits shore leave for foreign crew under a port shore-pass arranged by the agent. Filipino nationals are subject to standard Philippine immigration on sign-on / sign-off. Reference: immigration.gov.ph.. Shore leave policy is set by the port authority, the flag administration, and the visa regime of Philippines. Confirm with the agent before stepping ashore.
- What visa or shore-pass do I need for Manila?
- Seafarers calling at Manila 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 Manila?
- Yes — 2 seafarer welfare centres are listed for Manila 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 Manila?
- 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 Manila?
- 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 Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL), about 10 km away — useful for medevac planning.
- Is Manila a recognised crew-change port?
- Yes — Manila 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 2026-05-05
- country_name · ISO 3166-1 (PH)retrieved 2026-05-05
- currency_code · ISO 4217:2015 (PHP)retrieved 2026-05-05
- currency_name · ISO 4217:2015 (PHP)retrieved 2026-05-05
- languages · CIA World Factbook (public domain), national-language listing (PH)retrieved 2026-05-05
- timezone_iana · IANA tz database (Asia/Manila)retrieved 2026-05-05
- timezone_utc_offset · ECMA-402 Intl.DateTimeFormat (computed) (Asia/Manila)retrieved 2026-05-05
- timezone_dst · ECMA-402 Intl.DateTimeFormat (computed) (Asia/Manila)retrieved 2026-05-05
- electricity · IEC TR 60083 plug-and-socket standard list (PH)retrieved 2026-05-05
- function_codes_expanded · UNECE Rec. 16 — UN/LOCODE function-code mask (1--45---)retrieved 2026-05-05
- nearest_major_airport · OurAirports (CC0) — davidmegginson.github.io/ourairports-data (MNL)retrieved 2026-05-07
- wikidata_qid · Wikidata SPARQL (P1937 UN/LOCODE join) (Q1461)retrieved 2026-05-07
- osm_relation_id · Wikidata SPARQL (P1937 UN/LOCODE join) (Q1461)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.