Total port cargo throughput down 5.2% to 66.1 million tonnes in Q2

Blame double-digit declines in inward port cargo to SIngapore and Japan.

Hong Kong’s total port cargo throughput maintained its downward trend after falling 5.2% YoY to 66.1 million tonnes in Q2 on the back of broad-based declines in both inward and outward port cargo, according to the Census and Statistics Department.

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In a breakdown, seaborne cargo decreased by 8.8% YoY to 42.2 million tonnes in Q2, whilst river cargo was able to eke out measly gains at 2.0% YoY to 23.9 million tonnes.

In terms of territory, double-digit declines were booked in the tonnage of inward port cargo loaded in Singapore (-22%) and Japan (-18.3%).

The same downward trend could be observed in outward port cargo discharged in Macao (-40.9%), Thailand (-21.8%), Korea (-20.5%), Taiwan (-19.9%), Malaysia (-18.9%) and Japan (-10.6%).

On the other hand, double-digit expansion was recorded in the tonnage of inward port cargo of "coal, coke and briquettes" (+19.0%) and outward port cargo tonnage of "stone, sand and gravel" (+20.0%).

The port of Hong Kong handled a total of 4.98 million TEUs of containers, representing a 7.3% YoY decrease. Within this total, laden and empty containers decreased by 7.9% and 3.8% to 4.22 million TEUs and 0.76 million TEUs respectively.