Hong Kong port cargo throughput rises 2.2% in Q1

Container throughput declined, whilst vessel arrivals increased during the quarter.

Hong Kong's total port cargo throughput rose 2.2% YoY to 42.0 million tonnes in the first quarter of 2026, according to the Census and Statistics Department.

Inward port cargo increased 0.7% to 24.7 million tonnes, whilst outward port cargo rose 4.4% to 17.4 million tonnes.

On a seasonally adjusted quarter-to-quarter basis, total port cargo throughput increased 1.2%. Inward cargo rose 3.5%, whilst outward cargo fell 1.9% from the previous quarter.

By cargo type, seaborne cargo declined 2.3% YoY to 25.3 million tonnes, whilst river cargo grew 9.8% to 16.7 million tonnes.

Hong Kong handled 3.14 million twenty-foot equivalent units of containers during the quarter, down 7.0% from a year earlier.

Laden containers fell 2.0% to 2.53 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), whilst empty containers dropped 22.9% to 0.61 million TEUs. Among laden containers, inward containers decreased 3.1% to 1.34 million TEUs, whilst outward containers slipped 0.7% to 1.18 million TEUs.

On a seasonally adjusted quarter-to-quarter basis, laden container throughput rose 4.9%, with inward and outward laden containers up 4.8% and 5.0%, respectively.

Meanwhile, ocean vessel arrivals increased 6.5% YoY to 4,797, with total capacity up 6.1% to 75.1 million net tons. River vessel arrivals rose 1.6% to 20,120, whilst total capacity increased 7.1% to 24.7 million net tons.