Port Cargo Throughput Up 7% In HK In Q2, Survey Reveals

by Mary Swire, Tax-News.com, Hong Kong

08 September 2008

Hong Kong's total port cargo throughput rose to 68.2 million tonnes in the second quarter of 2008, up 7% on the same period last year, with inward and outward port cargo growing by 2% and 13%, to 38.1 million tonnes and 30.1 million tonnes.

For the first half of the year, total port cargo throughput rose 10% over a year earlier to 130.8 million tonnes. Inward and outward port cargo increased 7% and 15% to 74.4 million tonnes and 56.4 million tonnes.

A Census & Statistics Department survey found that on a seasonally adjusted quarter-to-quarter comparison, total port cargo throughput grew 1% in the second quarter, with outward port cargo up 1%, and inward port cargo virtually unchanged.

Seaborne and river cargo grew 2% and 21% over a year earlier to 47.1 million tonnes and 21.1 million tonnes respectively.

For inward port cargo, imports dropped 5% to 19.9 million tonnes, while inward transhipment grew 12% to 18.2 million tonnes. For outward port cargo, exports and outward transhipment rose 35% and 3% to 11.8 million tonnes and 18.2 million tonnes.

Additionally, the survey revealed, Hong Kong's port handled 6.3 million containers in the second quarter, up 2% on a year earlier, with laden containers up 3% to 5.2 million, and empty containers up 1% to 1 million.

On a seasonally adjusted quarter-to-quarter comparison, laden container throughput recorded virtually no change, with inward laden containers up 3%, while outward laden containers fell 3%. Seaborne laden containers rose 2% to 3.8 million, while river laden containers grew 5% to 1.4 million.

Within inward laden containers, imports dipped 3% to 900,000, while inward transhipment rose 10% to 1.6 million. For outward laden containers, exports fell 1% to 1 million, while outward transhipment rose 2% to 1.7 million.

Ocean vessel arrivals dropped 3% over a year earlier to 8,900, with the total capacity up 4% to 95.4 million net registered tons. River vessel arrivals fell 5% to 45,570, with the total capacity down 4% to 24.4 million net registered tons.

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