The third quarter saw total port cargo throughput fall to 64.4 million tonnes, down 4% on the same period last year, the Census & Statistics Department says.

Within this total, inward port cargo dropped 2% to 36.3 million tonnes and outward port cargo fell 7% to 28.1 million tonnes.

On a seasonally adjusted quarter-to-quarter comparison, total port cargo throughput rose 5% in the third quarter. Within this, inward port cargo grew 4% and outward port cargo rose 6%.

Seaborne cargo fell 7% to 43.1 million tonnes on the same period last year, while river cargo rose 1% to 21.3 million tonnes.

Imports rose 5% to 19.5 million tonnes while inward transhipments fell 9% to 16.8 million tonnes in the third quarter. Exports (including domestic exports and re-exports) and outward transhipments dropped 8% to 10.3 million tonnes and 6% to 17.8 million tonnes.

Hong Kong port handled 5.6 million TEUs of containers, down 16% on last year. Within this total, laden containers went down 13% to 4.8 million TEUs, while empty containers fell 28% to 0.8 million TEUs.

Of the laden containers, inward containers fell 13% to 2.3 million TEUs and outward containers fell 13% to 2.5 million TEUs. Seaborne and river laden containers fell 14% and 10% to 3.5 million TEUs and 1.3 million TEUs.

In the third quarter the number of ocean vessel arrivals dropped 1% to 8,780, with the total capacity rising 1% to 94.3 million net registered tons. The number of river vessel arrivals dipped 4% to 43,920, with the total capacity rising 1% to 24.9 million net registered tons.