News
International container ports in Japan processed a total of 21.78 million TEUs of containers (i.e., oceangoing, domestic and international feeder containers) in 2014 (January-December), growing 2.1% from a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT). The total throughput exceeded the 20-million-TEU line for the second consecutive year and broke the previous all-time high hit in 2013.
More specifically, oceangoing containers increased 1% to a record 17.93 million TEUs, with exports amounting to 8.96 million TEUs and imports, the balance of 8.97 million TEUs. Domestic containers rose 0.5% to 3.29 million TEUs.
On a throughput scale, the top five ports were Tokyo, which handled 4.894 million TEUs; Yokohama, 2.88 million TEUs; Nagoya, 2.74 million TEUs; Kobe, 2.616 million TEUs and Osaka, 2.438 million TEUs. As for other high performers, 975,000 TEUs were moved to and from Hakata; 515,000 TEUs to and from Shimizu, 504,000 TEUs to and from Naha, 485,000 TEUs to and from Kitakyushu and 322,000 TEUs to and from Tomakomai. Container volumes totaled 200,000 TEUs or more at Sendai Shiogama, Niigata, Yokkaichi and Hiroshima.
As it concerns international feeder containers, Sendai Shiogama ranked top, handling 85,000 TEUs. The port was followed by Niihama, which processed 77,000 TEUs; Hakata, 64,000 TEUs; Hiroshima, 60,000 TEUs; Mizushima, 40,000 TEUs; Tomakomai, 34,000 TEUs and Shimizu, 32,000 TEUs.
