HK's port cargo throughput rises 9% in Q2

Total port cargo throughput in Hong Kong rose to 67.3 million tonnes in the second quarter, up 9 percent on the same period last year, said the city's statistical authority Tuesday.

Within this total, inward and outward port cargo rose 10 percent and 7 percent to 39.3 million tonnes and 27.9 million tonnes, according to the statistics released by Hong Kong's Census & Statistics Department Tuesday.

Besides, total port cargo throughput during the first half of the year grew to 130 million tonnes, up 14 percent over a year earlier. Within this total, both inward and outward port cargo rose 14 percent to 75.4 million tonnes and 54.7 million tonnes.

On a seasonally adjusted quarter-to-quarter comparison, total port cargo throughput recorded virtually no change in the second quarter. Inward port cargo rose 3 percent, while outward port cargo dropped 3 percent. Seaborne cargo grew 12 percent over a year earlier to 46.3 million tonnes, while river cargo rose by 3 percent to 21 million tonnes.

In terms of the containers, the port of Hong Kong handled six million 20-foot container units in the second quarter, up 15 percent on a year earlier. In the first six months of the year the port handled 11.4 million container units, up 16 percent on the same period last year.

As to the vessel arrivals, the number of ocean vessel arrivals in Hong Kong fell 4 percent year-on-year to 8,020 in the second quarter, with the total capacity increasing by 4 percent to 98.3 million net registered tons. The number of river vessel arrivals grew 3 percent over a year earlier to 44,530, with the total capacity increasing 9 percent to 27 million net registered tons.

During the first half of the year, the number of ocean vessel arrivals increased by 1 percent over a year earlier to 16,010, with the total capacity also increasing by 1 percent to 190.9 million net registered tons. The number of river vessel arrivals increased by 4 percent over a year earlier to 87,550, with the total capacity increasing by 11 percent to 52.5 million net registered tonnes.

Source: Xinhua