Hong Kong Port Cargo Down 9%

Hong Kong's Census and Statistics Department said inward cargo dropped 6% in the second quarter and outward cargo was off 13% from a year earlier. That equates to 35.7 million tonnes on the inbound and 26.0 million tonnes on outbound.

Full first-half figures showed a 13% drop from a year earlier. Inbound volumes were off by 11% and outbound was down 15% for the period.

Seasonally adjusted second quarter volumes actually increased 11%.

Underlying these changes was a 12% quarterly drop in seaborne cargo and a 3% decline in river cargo.

The port of Hong Kong handled 5.2 million twenty-foot-equivalent units (TEUs) of containers in the second quarter, down 17% compared to a year earlier. Within this total, laden containers decreased by 15% to 4.5 million TEUs, while empty containers dropped by 27% to 0.8 million TEUs. Among laden containers, inward containers decreased by 12% to 2.2 million TEUs and outward containers also dropped by 17% to 2.2 million TEUs.

The full first half didn't look much different. The port handled 9.8 million TEUs of containers, representing a decrease of 18%. Within that total, laden containers decreased by 18% to 8.3 million TEUs, while empty containers dropped by 20% to 1.6 million TEUs. Among laden containers, inward containers decreased by 16% to 4.1 million TEUs and outward containers also dropped by 19% to 4.1 million TEUs.