Hong Kong Vessel Volumes Drop

Hong Kong’s total port cargo throughput in the fourth quarter of 2008 decreased to 61.3 million tonnes, according to statistics on vessels, port cargo and containers for the fourth quarter of 2008, released by the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD).

For 2008 as a whole, total port cargo throughput increased by 6% compared to a year earlier, reaching 259.4 million tonnes. Within this total, inward and outward port cargo rose by 3% and 9% to 146.0 million tonnes and 113.4 million tonnes, respectively.

In the fourth quarter of 2008, the port of Hong Kong handled 5.8 million twenty-foot-equivalent units (TEUs) of containers, representing a decrease of 8% compared to a year earlier. In 2008, the port of Hong Kong handled 24.5 million TEUs of containers, representing an increase of 2% compared to 2007.