First Quarter 2009 Statistics on Vessels, Port Cargo and Containers

For more information, please contact:
Melissa Ng /David Hsieh at 212-752-3320
Daniel McAtee at 202-238-6360
Wing Yan Tong at 415-835-9315

June 5, 2009 - The Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government today released statistics on vessels, port cargo and containers for the first quarter of 2009.

In the first quarter of 2009, total port cargo throughput decreased by 17% compared to a year earlier to 52.2 million tonnes. Within this total, inward and outward port cargo dropped by 16% and 17% over a year earlier to 30.4 million tonnes and 21.8 million tonnes respectively.

On a seasonally adjusted quarter-to-quarter comparison, total port cargo throughput decreased by 10% in the first quarter of 2009. Within this total, inward and outward port cargo went down by 9% and 11% respectively. The seasonally adjusted series enables more meaningful shorter-term comparison to be made for discerning possible variations in trends.

Within port cargo, seaborne cargo dropped by 23% over a year earlier to 34.7 million tonnes, while river cargo decreased by 1% to 17.4 million tonnes in the first quarter of 2009.

Within inward port cargo, imports and inward transhipment decreased by 10% and 23% in the first quarter of 2009 over a year earlier to 17.2 million tonnes and 13.2 million tonnes respectively. For outward port cargo, exports (including domestic exports and re-exports) and outward transhipment also decreased by 6% and 23% over a year earlier to 8.8 million tonnes and 13.0 million tonnes respectively.

In the first quarter of 2009, the port of Hong Kong handled 4.6 million TEUs of containers, representing a decrease of 20% over a year earlier. Within this total, laden containers went down by 21% to 3.8 million TEUs, while empty containers dropped by 12% to 0.8 million TEUs. Among laden containers, inward containers decreased by 20% to 1.9 million TEUs and outward containers also dropped by 22% to 1.9 million TEUs.

On a seasonally adjusted quarter-to-quarter comparison, laden container throughput decreased by 12% in the first quarter of 2009. Within this total, inward and outward laden containers dropped by 11% and 13% respectively.

Seaborne and river laden containers decreased by 24% and 13% in the first quarter of 2009 over a year earlier to 2.7 million TEUs and 1.1 million TEUs respectively.

Within inward laden containers, imports and inward transhipment decreased by 16% and 22% in the first quarter of 2009 over a year earlier to 0.7 million TEUs and 1.2 million TEUs respectively. For outward laden containers, exports and outward transhipment decreased by 22% and 23% to 0.7 million TEUs and 1.2 million TEUs respectively.

In the first quarter of 2009, the number of ocean vessel arrivals decreased by 21% over a year earlier to 7 520, with the total capacity decreasing by 5% to 94.5 million net registered tons. Over the same period, the number of river vessel arrivals decreased by 11% to 41 340, with the total capacity decreasing by 9% to 22.7 million net registered tons.

Detailed statistics on port cargo, containers and vessels can be found in the quarterly report “Hong Kong Shipping Statistics”. The January - March 2009 issue of the report, in download version, will be available by the end of June. Users can download this publication free of charge at the Web site of the C&SD [www.censtatd.gov.hk/products_and_services/products/publications/index.jsp].