China ports? January volume down 14%

China portsÆ January volume down 14%    Container ports in China saw throughput decline a collective 13.9 percent in January, to 8.9 million TEUs, according to AXS Alphaliner.
   The decline shows just how far export volumes have plummeted due to poor demand in North America and Europe. China’s coastal ports saw a decline of 12.9 percent to 8.4 million TEUs, while river ports suffered more — a 25.8 percent drop to 580,000 TEUs.
   Hong Kong, meanwhile, saw its January throughput nosedive 23.2 percent to 1.6 million TEUs. That was part of a regional malaise in South China, with Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Guangzhou collectively losing 1.1 million TEUs, or 22.6 percent of their January 2008 volumes.
   Nearly every major Chinese port suffered in January, with Shanghai, the country’s busiest port, declining 17 percent, Shenzhen 17.7 percent, Ningbo 8.7 percent, Guangzhou 30 percent and Xiamen 10.6 percent.
   The only port cluster to steer clear of a major drop were the Bohai Bay ports, with Qingdao and Dalian actually seeing volume increases of 2 percent and 6 percent, respectively. The third major port in the area, Tianjian, saw a modest 4.1 percent decline.