News
Trade ports in South Korea handled 14.485 million TEUs of containers in the first half (January-June) of 2019, growing 2.2% year on year from 14.175 million TEUs, according to preliminary statistics recently unveiled by the nation's Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF).
As for exports, those to China went up 5.1%; to the U.S., up 3.6% and to Japan, up 3.7%. On the other hand, containers to Malaysia and Taiwan decreased 9.6% and 8.7%, respectively. In total, they improved a minute 0.8% to 8.312 million TEUs. Meanwhile, transhipment (T/S) containers increased at Busan, Kwangyang and Incheon, swelling a steady 4.6% to 6.063 million TEUs in total.
By major ports, Busan was responsible for 10.861 million TEUs, up 2.1%. Exports to and imports from major trade partners were up 6.1% to and from China, up 2.9% to and from the U.S. and up 3.1% to and from Japan. Those to and from Malaysia, on the other hand, went down 10.9% and to and from Taiwan, down 5.6%. Consequently, international containers amounted to a total of 5.152 million TEUs, up 0.8%. T/S containers amounted to 2.789 million TEUs in total.
Container throughput hiked 7.9% to 1.24 million TEUs at Kwangyang, including 915,000 TEUs of exports and imports, up 7.9%. As efforts to attract shipments had borne fruit, T/S containers surged 28.3% to 325,000 TEUs.
Containers to and from Incheon waned 0.8% to 1.514 million TEUs, resulting from declines in those to and from Southeast Asian nations. Exports and imports accounted for 1.497 million TEUs.
