HK's Port Cargo Throughput up 20% in Q1

The Hong Kong Census and Statistics Department said Monday the first quarter of 2010 saw the total port cargo throughput grow to 62.8 million tonnes, up 20 percent over a year earlier.

Inward port cargo rose 18 percent to 36 million tonnes and outward port cargo surged 23 percent to 26.7 million tonnes.

On a seasonally adjusted quarter-to-quarter comparison, the total port cargo throughput grew 3 percent in the first quarter. Inward port cargo went up 2 percent and outward port cargo rose 5 percent.

Seaborne cargo increased 21 percent to 42.1 million tonnes on the same period last year, while river cargo rose 18 percent to 20.6 million tonnes.

Imports and inward transhipment grew 8 percent to 18.6 million tonnes and 32 percent to 17.4 million tonnes in the first quarter. Exports (including domestic exports and re-exports) and outward transhipment also rose 8 percent to 9.5 million tonnes and 33 percent to 17.3 million tonnes.

In the first quarter, the number of ocean vessel arrivals rose 6 percent to 7,990, with the total capacity falling 2 percent to 92.6 million net registered tonnes. The number of river vessel arrivals grew 4 percent to 43,020, with the total capacity rising 12 percent to 25.5 million net registered tonnes.