News
The combined volume of containerized shipments that major shipping lines moved in September on the intra-Asia trade (among 13 economies in Asia) decreased 4.3% from a year earlier to 1.123 million TEUs, incurring a year-on-year contraction for the third consecutive month. In breakdown, dry cargo declined 5% to 1.055 million TEUs, but reefer cargo improved 5% to 69,000 TEUs. Exports from Japan to the other countries and regions waned 9% to 126,000 TEUs, but imports from the 12 economies to Japan maintained positive growth, hiking 8.8% to 197,000 TEUs. In the first nine months, 9.583 million TEUs were traded in the region, which sank 1.7%. Japan exported 1.08 million TEUs, which shrank 11%, and imported 1.573 million TEUs, which improved 2.7%.
Looking more closely at containerized shipments carried to and from Japan by origin and destination, those from Japan to other economies in northeast Asia included 17,000 TEUs to northern China, which went down 27%; 10,400 TEUs to central China, down 54%; 870 TEUs to Fujian Province, up 42%; 9,600 TEUs to southern China, down 5.6%; 12,000TEUs to Hong Kong, up 0.3% and 17,000 TEUs to Taiwan, up 13%.
As for containers destined to Southeast Asia, those to Myanmar plunged 17% to 250 TEUs. In contrast, exports to other nations in the region were all brisk. Double-digit rises were registered for those to Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines, which soared 31% to 9,200 TEUs, 19.6% to 8,000 TEUs, 15% to 14,000 TEUs and 18% to 4,100 TEUs, respectively. Shipments bound for Cambodia, Malaysia and Singapore were also favorable, improving 9% to 400 TEUs, 2.5% to 7,300 TEUs and 0.9% to 3,100 TEUs.
Regarding inbound containers to Japan, meanwhile, those from other countries and regions in northeast Asia were made up of 26,000 TEUs from northeast China, which came down 7%; 28,000 TEUs from central China, up 1.9%; 10,000 TEUs from Fujian, up 4%; 29,000 TEUs from southern China, up 2.7%; 8,600 TEUs from Hong Kong, down 2.7%; and 14,000 TEUs from Taiwan, up 4.3%.
As it concerns shipments from Southeast Asia, those from Myanmar plummeted 27% to 500 TEUs; from Cambodia, 5% to 300 TEUs; from Vietnam, 10% to 9,200 TEUs and from the Philippines, 6.6% to 8,800 TEUs. In contrast, imports from Thailand surged 32% to 18,000 TEUs, while those from Singapore skyrocketed 174% to 8,000 TEUs, rebounding notably from the corresponding month of 2015. Containers from Indonesia were also brisk, growing 3.8% to 12,000 TEUs.
