China port throughput down 11% in first half

China port throughput down 11% in first half    Throughput at China’s ports was down 11 percent in the first half of 2009, according to a report by maritime consultant Dynamar.
   The report, which includes river port volume, said volume at the country’s largest port, Shanghai, dropped 15.6 percent to 11.6 million TEUs, while the second-biggest port, Shenzhen, saw a 21.1 percent decrease to 8 million TEUs. The figures do not include Hong Kong, where throughput has also slid significantly.
   Other major declines came at Guangzhou, 14.5 percent, to 5.1 million TEUs, which was passed by Qingdao for third place; Ningbo, 11 percent, to 4.7 million TEUs; and Xiamen, 14 percent, to 2.1 million TEUs.
   The only ports to survive the downturn are those in the Bohai Bay region of northeastern China. Qingdao volume rose 2 percent to 5.1 million TEUs, while Tianjin volume rose 1.9 percent to 4.2 million TEUs.
   River port volume fell 13.9 percent to 5.4 million TEUs. Total throughput fell to just under 56 million TEUs.