PORT OF HAMBURG SETS FIRST-QUARTER CARGO RECORD

PORT OF HAMBURG SETS FIRST-QUARTER CARGO RECORD    The Port of Hamburg handled 23 million tons of total ocean cargo during the first three months of 2002, up 5.8 percent from last year.
   Container traffic increased by 11.8 percent in the first quarter In the same period, ports in Bremen reported a 5.8 percent downturn in container traffic.
   Hamburg’s upswing was primarily attributable to a 16.1 percent increase in Asian trade, said port chairman Dr. Jurgen Sorgenfrei.
   Both K-Line and Yangming’s “AES-1” service and Evergreen’s Far East and Pacific “WAE” service call at Hamburg.
   Container traffic to North America remained stable at the port, while container trade to America dropped seven percent.
   In the bulk goods sector, throughput for cargoes such as coal, ore, and potash reached 4.9 million tons, up 5.7 percent from the previous year.
   Liquid cargoes were down 10.3 percent in Hamburg, in part because of a mild winter that slowed sales of light heating oil.