Total port cargo throughput down 0.7% to 65.7m tonnes in Q1

Tonnage of inward port cargo plunged in Singapore, Korea, Japan and Vietnam.

Total port cargo throughput dipped 0.7% YoY to 65.7m tonnes in Q1, according to the Census & Statistics Department. 

Although total inward port cargo increased by 1.6% YoY to 40.6m tonnes, outward port cargo fell 4.3% YoY to 25.1m tonnes.

Also read: Government urged to cap shipping and maritime tax rate at 8.25%

In a breakdown, seaborne cargo decreased 4.8% YoY to 40.6m tonnes in Q1, whilst river cargo increased by 6.7% to 25m tonnes over the same period.

Double-digit declines were registered in Singapore as inward port cargo tonnage crashed 23.3%. Port cargo volumes to Korea, Japan and Vietnam also fell 20.5%, 13% and 10.1% respectively. Outward port cargo also plunged by 67.2% in Macao whilst falling 10.5% in Thailand and 10.4% in Korea.

The number of ocean vessel arrivals also dipped 5.4% to 6 261, with the total capacity also falling 4.5% to 99.0m net registered tons. The number of river vessel arrivals also dropped 2.2% to 37 960.

However, the total volume of containers handled by Hong Kong ports rose marginally by 0.2% YoY in Q1 with laden containers dipping 2% to 4.14m.