The Port of Hong Kong’s cargo throughput and container traffic posted double-digit declines in exports, imports, and transshipments in the first quarter of 2016, symptomatic of the ongoing sluggish global economic conditions.
According to data released by the Census and Statistics Department, overall cargo volume decreased by 18.7% to 55.6 million tonnes from the same period a year earlier. Both inward and outward cargo logged falls, at 22.9% and 12.1% to 32.3 million tonnes and 23.3 million tonnes, respectively.
On a seasonally adjusted quarter-on-quarter comparison, cargo increased by 6.2% in the first quarter of 2016, with inward and outward shipments expanding by 2.1% and 12.3%, respectively.
Both seaborne and river freight decreased, the first by 23.0% to 35.3 million tonnes and the second by 10.1% 20.4 million tonnes, in the first quarter of 2016 compared to a year ago.
For inward cargo, both imports and inward transshipments moderated by 29.3% and 12.7% in the first quarter of 2016 from year-ago levels to 18.2 million tonnes and 14.1 million tonnes, respectively.
For outward cargo, exports (domestic exports and re-exports) and outward transshipments decreased by 8.1% and 14.5% compared with a year earlier to 9.2 million tonnes and 14.1 million tonnes, respectively.
Tonnage of inward cargo from Indonesia recorded a double-digit increase in the first quarter year-on-year, which was countered by double-digit declines for tonnage coming from China, Taiwan, U.S., Singapore, Thailand, Japan, and South Korea.
For outward cargo, volume bound for Macau registered double-digit gains. On the other hand, double-digit drops were recorded in shipments to Vietnam, Malaysia, U.S., Thailand, and Japan.
Box volume falls 12%
For container traffic, the port of Hong Kong handled 4.32 million TEUs of containers in the quarter reviewed, representing a shrinkage of 12.1% year-on-year. Of this total, laden and empty containers dove by 12.7% and 9.1% to 3.66 million TEUs and 0.66 million TEUs, respectively. Among laden containers, inward and outward containers dropped by 10.1% and 15.2% to 1.85 million TEUs and 1.81 million TEUs, respectively.
Quarter-on-quarter, laden container throughput slipped by 1.1% in the first quarter of 2016. Inward and outward laden containers decreased by 0.9% and 1.2%, respectively.
In the first quarter of 2016, volume of seaborne and river laden containers contracted by 16.0% and 3.3% compared to a year earlier to 2.58 million TEUs and 1.08 million TEUs, respectively.
Regarding inward laden boxes, imports and inward transshipments decreased by 8.6% and 10.8% in the first quarter of 2016 compared to the preceding year to 0.58 million TEUs and 1.27 million TEUs, respectively. For outward laden containers, exports and outbound transshipments shrank by 16.4% and 14.6% to 0.53 million TEUs and 1.28 million TEUs, respectively.
Photo: Marcus Wong Wongm
