General Santos, Philippines
Sea freight in General Santos
We book FCL and LCL sea freight for shippers and consignees in General Santos, via Makar Wharf. Pre-carriage, on-carriage by road or rail and the customs entries are planned together with the ocean booking.
Airports, seaports and connections in General Santos
- AirportGeneral Santos
GES - AirportManila
MNL - SeaportMakar Wharf
General Santos International Airport (GES) serves the city with domestic flights to Manila (MNL) and Cebu (CEB). Fresh tuna and other seafood exports therefore usually connect via Manila. Sea freight runs through Makar Wharf, the city's main port, which handles containers and domestic shipping. The General Santos Fish Port Complex is the landing point for the city's tuna fleet, so fresh catch, processing and export documentation are concentrated in one place. Davao's ports and airport, reached by road, are a further option.
The Pan-Philippine Highway connects General Santos with Davao City to the north-east and with Koronadal and Cotabato to the north-west. Roads lead to Polomolok and the pineapple plantations of South Cotabato. We arrange pick-up and delivery across General Santos and South Cotabato.
Operational logistics facts for General Santos
| Hub | Specialisation | Local advantage |
|---|---|---|
| General Santos International Airport (GES) | Domestic air freight, fresh seafood | Airport for South Cotabato with flights to Manila |
| Makar Wharf | FCL and reefer containers | Main port for canned and frozen tuna exports |
| General Santos Fish Port Complex | Tuna landing and processing | Seafood exports with direct link to processors |
| South Cotabato plantations (Polomolok) | Pineapple and food products | Export flows via Makar Wharf |
Industries in General Santos and how we support them
General Santos is known as the tuna capital of the Philippines, with a large fish port, tuna canneries and processing plants exporting canned, frozen and fresh tuna. South Cotabato also has major pineapple plantations and canning operations around Polomolok. Ziem Logistics supports these supply chains with air freight for fresh seafood via GES and MNL on our own air waybills, reefer FCL via Makar Wharf for canned and frozen products, and Next Flight Out for urgent cannery spare parts. Our own customs team handles declarations in-house.
From the port to your door in General Santos
We arrange collection of the container or the LCL cargo at Makar Wharf, customs clearance and delivery to your site in the General Santos area. For exports we organise the pick-up and the delivery to the terminal before the cut-off.
Customs clearance in the Philippines
In-house customs team
Customs clearance in the Philippines is handled by our own in-house customs team.
For air freight to and from the Philippines we issue our own air waybills.
Importers in the Philippines need accreditation as an importer with the Bureau of Customs.
Frequently asked questions
Which port is used for sea freight to and from General Santos?
Usually Makar Wharf. Depending on the shipping line and the destination, another port can be faster or more economical; we compare the options when quoting.