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| Hong Kong’s total port cargo throughput grew to 62.6 million metric tons in the first quarter of 2008. |
In the first quarter of 2008, Hong Kong’s total port cargo throughput increased 14% compared to a year earlier to 62.6 million metric tons, according to the Census and Statistics Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government. Within this total, inward and outward port cargo grew 12% and 17% compared to a year earlier to 36.3 million metric tons and 26.3 million metric tons, respectively.
On a seasonally adjusted quarter-to-quarter comparison, total port cargo throughput increased 4% in the first quarter. Within this total, inward and outward port cargo rose 2% and 7%, respectively. The seasonally adjusted series enables more meaningful shorter-term comparisons to be made for discerning possible variations in trends.
Within port cargo, seaborne and river cargo grew 15% and 12% compared to a year earlier to 45 million metric tons and 17.6 million metric tons, respectively.
Within inward port cargo, imports and inward transhipment increased 10% and 14% over the previous year to 19.1 million metric tons and 17.1 million metric tons, respectively. For outward port cargo, exports (including domestic exports and re-exports) and outward transhipment went up 22% and 14% over the previous year to 9.3 million metric tons and 17 million metric tons, respectively.
Also in the first quarter, the port of Hong Kong handled 5.8 million TEUs of containers, representing a 7% increase from the prior year. Within this total, laden containers increased 8% to 4.8 million TEUs, while empty containers recorded virtually no change at 0.9 million TEUs. Among laden containers, inward and outward containers increased 9% and 7% to 2.4 million TEUs and 2.5 million TEUs, respectively.
On a seasonally adjusted quarter-to-quarter comparison, laden container throughput increased 1% in the first quarter of 2008. Within this total, inward laden containers recorded virtually no change, while outward laden containers increased 3%.
Seaborne-laden containers increased 10% in the first quarter over a year earlier to 3.6 million TEUs, while river-laden containers increased 4% to 1.2 million TEUs.
Within inward laden containers, imports decreased 1% in the first quarter over a year earlier to 0.8 million TEUs, while inward transhipment increased 15% to 1.5 million TEUs. For outward laden containers, exports decreased 4% to 0.9 million TEUs, while outward transhipment went up 15% to 1.6 million TEUs.
In the first quarter of 2008, the number of ocean-vessel arrivals recorded virtually no change from the prior year at 9,490, with total capacity increasing 14% to 99.7 million net registered tons. Over the same period, the number of river vessel arrivals increased 2% to 46,360, with total capacity decreasing 8% to 25 million net registered tons.
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