BOX VOLUME SOARS BY 25% AT SHANGHAI PORT

BOX VOLUME SOARS BY 25% AT SHANGHAI PORT    The container throughput of the port of Shanghai soared by 25 percent in the first quarter over the same period in 2001, to 1.76 million TEUs, according to local news reports.
   The efforts of Shanghai municipal government, the recovery of the U.S. economy and the improvement of the foreign trade situation were credited for the increase in traffic volume at the port of Shanghai.
   China Shipping, Maersk Sealand and P&O Nedlloyd recorded year-on-year increases in traffic volumes in Shanghai of 74 percent, 16 percent and 13 percent, respectively, in the first two months.
   In March, the port of Shanghai became the first mainland Chinese port to exceed 600,000 TEUs in a single month, the Chinese report said.
   The port of Shanghai expects to handle more than 7 million TEUs this year, up from 6.3 million TEUs in 2001.