HONG KONG TO REMAIN WORLD’S BUSIEST CONTAINER PORT IN 2002

HONG KONG TO REMAIN WORLD’S BUSIEST CONTAINER PORT IN 2002    The port of Hong Kong expects to have handled more containers than any other port in the world during 2002, with a predicted annual throughput of 18.6 million TEU.
   The forecast annual volume represents an increase of 4.6 percent over the 17.8-million-TEU traffic handled in 2001.
   “The forecast throughput volume, also a world record, will make Hong Kong once again the world’s busiest container port in 2002, the 10th time over the last 11 years,” a spokesman for the Hong Kong port and maritime board said.
   The announcement made by Hong Kong confirms that it has been able to stay ahead of Singapore, the second-largest container port in the world, despite the diversion of container traffic from Hong Kong to ports located in mainland China.
   The port of Singapore, operated by PSA Corp., handled 15.5 million TEUs in 2001, but it has not publicized its expected annual throughput for 2002. Singapore has suffered from the departure of Maersk Sealand to the neighboring port    of Tanjung Pelepas. However, for the first seven months of 2002, the port of Singapore saw its container throughput increase by 9.2 percent.
   The Kwai Chung container terminals in Hong Kong handled 10.8 million TEUs in the first 11 months of 2002, up 4.7 percent. In November alone, the Kwai Chung terminals saw box volume surge by 16.6 percent, to 1.03 million TEUs. The port and maritime board of Hong Kong expects the growth momentum in container throughput to have continued into the fourth quarter.