Despite a difficult 2012, global port operator PSA International said its ports all over the world set an overall 5.2 percent increase in container throughout last year compared to 2011.

“The PSA Group has pulled together well to weather the year with resilience,” the company said in a statement.

PSA International handled 60.06 million 20-foot-equivalent units (TEUs) of containers at its various ports in 2012. Of the total, the flagship PSA Singapore terminals contributed 31.26 million TEUs, up 6.4 percent over the preceding year, while PSA terminals outside Singapore contributed the balance of 28.8 million TEUs, higher by 3.9 percent from 2011.

CEO Tan Chong Meng said 2012 was another challenging year for the shipping and port industries amid a weak global trade and volatile market conditions. These difficulties, he said, included “the ongoing sovereign debt crisis in Europe, sluggish recovery of the American economy, turmoil in the Middle East and the slowdown of economic growth in China.”

He said that PSA plans to continue investing in new port projects and upgrade its current facilities and terminals.

 

Photo: ashkyd

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