By Ashley Erika O. Jose, Reporter
2GO GROUP, Inc. expects to sustain growth this yr, supported by regular demand and early bookings, whilst rising fuel costs pose challenges to sea travel operations, an organization official said.
“We predict that this yr, it would still be good. Because by way of the ports we serve, we’re seeing that across all ports, the numbers have been regular up to now,” 2GO Group Head of Sea Travel Francis John Chua told BusinessWorld on the sidelines of a forum last week.
For the ocean travel segment, he said the corporate expects stable demand from essential travelers, even though it may face headwinds as tourists and leisure passengers contend with higher fuel costs.
“For 2GO travel, we predict that it would be good within the sense that the market we serve are those that are literally really required to travel — ‘yung mga uwian (those going home). I believe our regular passengers actually transit from one place to a different,” he said.
The corporate said passenger numbers across the ports it serves have remained regular up to now, despite higher fuel costs that might dampen travel demand.
The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) has allowed domestic shipping firms, ship operators, shippers, charterers, and cargo owners to boost their charges by as much as 30% from rates published of their certificates of public convenience or franchises, citing global fuel costs and the state of a national energy emergency.
MARINA said the 30% cap on rate adjustments also covers the gathering of fuel surcharges of as much as 20% of base fares, announced in March.
Mr. Chua said early bookings have helped support passenger volumes, noting that customers who booked ahead were capable of manage costs.
“What we’re realizing is lots of passengers we now have had actually booked earlier, which is nice, they are going to find a way to save lots of,” he said, adding that the height holiday season in the primary quarter also boosted traffic.
Passenger traffic rose by 1.97% to 19.69 million in the primary quarter from 19.31 million a yr earlier, data from the Philippine Ports Authority showed.
To administer rising costs, 2GO said it continues to watch and review its routes to optimize destinations while maintaining service levels.
“That’s the plan that we are literally doing for the time being, to maintain the service and to find a way to serve the passengers. We’d like to find a way to be profitable as well,” Mr. Chua said.
MARINA has also authorized shipping firms to regulate operations by consolidating or reducing trips to optimize vessel use and cut fuel consumption, subject to regulatory approval.
At present, 2GO said growth is predicted to return from its key routes, including Manila-Cebu, Manila-Bacolod, and Manila-Zamboanga.
The corporate can be assessing the potential for launching recent routes and reviewing potential fleet expansion.
“We’re considering, we’re always reviewing if there may be a market to be served and we would like to find a way to take a position. The management is de facto optimistic about sea travel,” Mr. Chua said, noting that 2GO currently operates nine ships.
In January, 2GO said it’s counting on freight, express delivery, and e-commerce logistics to drive growth this yr, as rising online activity boosts demand for faster and more reliable transport services across the Philippines.
2GO Group reported a net income of P1.05 billion for 2025, up 28% from the previous yr, as revenue grew 6% to P18.9 billion.
Shipping revenues, which include sea freight and passenger travel, rose 3%, while logistics and other services revenues increased 9%, reflecting stronger non-shipping contributions to the business.
Operating income increased 48% as a result of cost efficiencies, while earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) reached P2.89 billion at a 15.3% margin.
2GO is an end-to-end transportation, logistics, and distribution provider under SM Investments Corp. (SMIC), which holds a 67.2% effective ownership in the corporate.