Shipping hub: Total port cargo throughput rose 5% over a year earlier in the first quarter, to 56.1 million tonnes.

Total port cargo throughput rose to 56.1 million tonnes in the first quarter, up 5% on the same period last year, the Census & Statistics Department says.

Within this total, inward port cargo rose 4% to 34.9 million tonnes, and outward port cargo grew 5% to 21.2 million tonnes.

On a seasonally adjusted quarter-to-quarter comparison, total port cargo throughput fell 2% in the first quarter of 2006. Within this total, both inward and outward port cargo shrank 2%.

Within port cargo, seaborne and river cargo rose 2% and 10% over a year earlier to 38.8 million tonnes and 17.3 million tonnes in the first quarter.

Within inward port cargo, imports and inward transhipment grew 1% and 8% over a year earlier to 20.7 million tonnes and 14.2 million tonnes.

For outward port cargo, exports (including domestic exports and re-exports) grew 9% to 8.6 million tonnes while outward transshipment rose 3% to 12.5 million tonnes.

5.4m containers handled

In the first quarter, the port of Hong Kong handled 5.4 million  containers, a rise of 5% over a year earlier. Within this total, laden and empty containers rose 5% and 4% to 4.4 million and 1 million.

Among laden containers, inward and outward containers grew 6% and 4% to 2.2 million.

On a seasonally adjusted quarter-to-quarter comparison, laden container throughput dropped 2%, comprising decreases of 4% and 1% for inward and outward laden containers.

Seaborne laden containers rose 2% over a year earlier to 3.2 million, while river laden containers grew 14% to 1.2 million.

Within inward laden containers, imports recorded little change in the first quarter to 900,000, while inward transhipment rose 10% to 1.3 million. For outward laden containers, exports and outward transhipment grew 3% and 4%, to 1 million and 1.2 million.

In the first quarter, the number of ocean vessel arrivals went up 3% over a year earlier to 9,360, with the total capacity increasing 10% to 83.9 million net registered tonnes.

Over the same period, the number of river vessel arrivals rose 4% to 47,450, with the total capacity soaring 18% to 27 million net registered tonnes.