The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) and the Port of San Diego signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on October 15, 2026, in San Diego, California, establishing a sister-port partnership to explore trade opportunities, exchange expertise, and collaborate on shared priorities in port operations and sustainable development.
The signing brought together Port of San Diego officials, SBMA dignitaries, and local leaders from the Filipino community. The partnership provides a framework for the two ports to build trade opportunities, exchange knowledge, and share practices relevant to their respective maritime and logistics operations.
SBMA Chairman and Administrator Eduardo Jose L. Aliño emphasized that the partnership would provide a structured framework for both ports to exchange expertise, identify new business opportunities, and share best practices as they respond to the evolving global maritime landscape.
“A central focus of our collaboration will be the expansion of trade and commercial cargo services,” Aliño said. “The sister-port relationship between SBMA and the Port of San Diego will enable us to explore potential cargo routes, logistics initiatives, and other opportunities that could strengthen trade links between Subic Bay and California.”
The MOU also opens opportunities for cooperation in cruise tourism, including the exchange of knowledge on cruise operations, passenger handling, port services, and tourism infrastructure. Such exchanges could help strengthen Subic Bay’s capabilities as a cruise destination and improve the experience of passengers and cruise operators.
Environmental sustainability is another key area of cooperation. The Port of San Diego’s experience in green-port technologies and environmental programs could provide useful insights for SBMA in pursuing cleaner port operations, energy efficiency, emissions reduction, and other environmentally responsible initiatives suited to Subic Bay.
SBMA Senior Deputy Administrator for Port Operations Ronnie Yambao said the sister-port arrangement would also foster professional and people-to-people connections through exchanges involving port officials, maritime industry stakeholders, and organizations in shipping, logistics, and tourism.
“Positioned as a major maritime and logistics hub in the Philippines, Subic Bay stands to gain significantly from broadened international partnerships,” Yambao said. “Our cooperation with San Diego will help expand SBMA’s global network and uncover new opportunities in cargo, cruise tourism, and sustainable port development.”
The Port of San Diego also highlighted the potential for future import and export cargo opportunities in Asia, as well as cooperation in sustainable port development, supply-chain resilience, and environmental stewardship. Its Board Chair, Ann Moore, welcomed the sister-port relationship as a way for both organizations to support global trade and reinforce economic resilience.
Subic Bay is the Port of San Diego’s fourth sister-port relationship, following earlier agreements with Sasebo, Japan, in 1982; Ensenada, Mexico, in 2004; and Nanjing, China, in 2012.
SBMA signed a similar sister-port agreement with the Port of Kaohsiung in February 2026. The agency is also planning to expand its international port network through a proposed sister-port agreement with the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, Belgium, in May 2027. (SNL)
