Total port cargo throughput down 13% to 61.7 million tonnes in Q3

Inward port cargo tonnage crashed in US, Japan and Korea.

Total port cargo throughput extended its downward trend after falling 13% YoY to 61.7 million tonnes in Q3 on the back of declines in inward and outward port cargo, according to the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD).

On a seasonally adjusted QoQ comparison, total port cargo throughput decreased 6.7% in Q3.

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In a breakdown, seaborne and river cargo decreased 8.1% and 21% YoY in Q3 to 40.5 million tonnes and 21.2 million tonnes, respectively.

In terms of territory, a double digit increase was recorded in the tonnage of inward port cargo loaded in Vietnam (17.1%) in Q3. However, double-digit decreases were recorded in the tonnage of inward port cargo loaded in US (-32.7%), Japan (-28.9%), Korea (-26.1%), mainland China (-18.3%), Singapore (-13.7%) and Taiwan (-11.4%).

For outward port cargo in Q3, the only double-digit increase recorded was in the Philippines at 29.7% whilst double-digit decreases were recorded across the board.

Meanwhile, double-digit decreases were recorded in the tonnage of inward port cargo of ‘stone, sand and gravel’ (-37.5%), ‘logs and timber; wood, simply worked’ (-14.1%), machinery (-13.5%) and ‘coal, coke and briquettes’ (-11.7%).

In Q3, the port of Hong Kong handled 4.77 million TEUs of containers which represents a 10.1% YoY decrease. Within this total, laden and empty containers declined 7.7% and 23.2% to 4.14 million TEUs and 0.63 million TEUs, respectively. Amongst laden containers, inward (2.12 million TEUs) and outward (2.02 million TEUs) containers fell 7.5% and 7.9%.