Import, export: Hong Kong's port is the Asia-Pacific Region's hub, with port cargo throughput at 221 million tonnes last year, up 6% over a year earlier.

Hong Kong's port is the Asia-Pacific Region's hub, with port cargo throughput at 221 million tonnes last year, up 6% over a year earlier. About 37% was between Hong Kong and the Mainland, with 76% of this taken up by the Pearl River Delta.

Last year, the port cargo accounted for 83% of overall cargo movements by all transport modes.

In an analysis of port cargo statistics from 1999 to 2004, the Census & Statistics Department noted Hong Kong's port cargo recorded an average annual growth rate of 5.5%. The period also saw significant growth in transshipment cargo, with an average annual growth rate of 15.2%. The share of transshipment cargo in total port cargo surged from 30% in 1999 to 47% last year.

HK-Mainland cargo traffic grows

Analysed by countries, port cargo traffic between Hong Kong and the Mainland recorded an annual growth rate of 8.9% between 1999 and last year. Hong Kong-Mainland port cargo accounted for the largest share of Hong Kong's port cargo throughput, with the share growing from 32% in 1999 to 37% last year.

This was followed by port cargo movements between Hong Kong and the US and Taiwan, which accounted for 9% and 7% of the total last year.

The port cargo movements between Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta accounted for an increasing share of the port cargo movements between Hong Kong and the Mainland, from 72% in 1999 to 76% last year.

Guangzhou had the largest share (20%), followed by Shenzhen (19%) and Foshan/Nanhai/Shunde (13%). This reflected the intensified economic relations between the two places. Between 1999 and 2004, port cargo traffic between Hong Kong and Shenzhen recorded an average annual growth of 19.7%.

Largest share - manufactured goods

In terms of commodities, the largest share of port cargo throughput last year was taken up by manufactured goods (39%), followed by chemicals and related products (17%). Between 1999 and 2004, the two commodities had average annual growth rates of 5.1% and 9.3%.

Last year manufactured goods accounted for a higher share (47%) of cargo loaded than its corresponding share (34%) of cargo discharged.

Analysed by cargo-handling locations, container terminals handled 42% of the port cargo last year, followed by berths and wharves, including public cargo areas (34%) and anchorages and buoys (24%). Container terminals handled 52% of the cargo loaded last year, higher than the corresponding share (36%) of cargo discharged.