The world’s container port traffic is expected to grow by only 0.3% this year, as the weak volume growth recorded in the first half of 2016 dragged full-year volume projections down, according to a report by Alphaliner.
This year is expected to yield the second lowest annual growth rate since 2009, when a record year-on-year decline saw global container volumes shrink by 8.3% in the aftermath of the Lehman Brothers debacle, said the report.
Total throughput at the world’s top 30 container ports is estimated to have grown by only 0.2% in the first six months of the year, with weak growth recorded across all main regions. The top 30 ports currently account for over half of the global container throughput, with aggregated volumes reaching 184.57 million TEUs during the first half of the year, compared to 184.28 million TEUs in the same period of 2015.
Out of the top 30 ports, 12 have reported volume reductions, including six ports that are ranked in the top ten. Among the main losers are Hong Kong (down 10.5%), Dubai (down 6.1%), Singapore (down 5.1%), Tanjung Pelepas (down 2.8%), and Rotterdam (down 2.3%). The world’s busiest container port, Shanghai, also reported a 0.8% reduction in total throughput at 17.89 million TEUs for the first half of 2016 compared to 18.03 million TEUs last year.
Among the gainers, container volume growth was uneven. Algeciras in Spain reported the largest percentage increase of 13.1% to 2.35 million TEUs, followed by Malaysia’s Port Klang (up 12.3%), and Sri Lanka’s Colombo (up 11.2%).
Photo: Rehman Abubakr
