CARGO processed at South Korean seaports inched up 0.6 per cent in the first quarter of this year, Yonhap News Agency reports quoting statistics from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.
Cargo handled at the country’s ports came to 389 million tonnes in the January-March period, compared with 386.76 million tonnes the previous year, according to the ocean’s ministry.
Handling of export-import cargo, however, fell 0.7 per cent year on year to 331.21 million tonnes in the first quarter. The decrease came as trade volume with China and Japan fell 5.2 per cent and 2.4 per cent, respectively, during the cited period, which offset a 9.4 per cent growth in the volume of trade with the United States, the ministry data showed.
Container cargo processed at the seaports decreased 1.3 per cent year on year to come to 7.23 million TEU in the January-March period. Of the total, processed export-import container cargo fell 3.2 per cent year on year to stand at 4.13 million TEU, the ministry said.
But South Korea’s handling of transshipment cargo, or cargo processed here en route to final destinations, edged up 1.3 per cent to 3.06 million TEU, the data showed.
Non-container cargo handled at the ports also rose 1.5 per cent from the previous year to 262.57 million tonnes in the first quarter, the ministry said.
South Korea’s exports posted double-digit growth for the 13th month in a row in March, the industry ministry said.
