Cambodian Phnom Penh port traffic up 40%

Shipping through the Cambodia's Phnom Penh Autonomous Port for the first five months of 2010 increased 40.3 percent over the same period last year, driven by the ongoing recovery of such key sectors as garments and agriculture, local media reported on Thursday.

Some 20,997 TEUs (20-foot equivalent units) were transported through the capital's port in the five months through May, compared to 14,964 TEUs last year, port statistics quoted by the Phnom Penh Post show.

Month-to-month increase were also recorded, with 4,783 TEUs shipped in May, compared to 4,207 in April, the statistics showed.

"We hope shipments this year will increase more than last year because the economy has been recovering significantly," Eang Veng Sun, the Phnom Penh Autonomous Port's deputy director general, was quoted by the Phnom Penh Post as saying.

In January, port director general Hei Bavy targeted total shipping for 2010 at 62,500 TEUs, a 44.3 percent increase from the 43,312 TEUs shipped last year.

Last month, Hei Bavy estimated that shipping through Phnom Penh port will increase fivefold in the next decade as the facility gains popularly among freight companies taking advantage of the capital's access to international sea ports.

Source: Xinhua