PSA SINGAPORE’s MARCH THROUGHPUT UP 6.3%

PSA SINGAPOREÆS MARCH THROUGHPUT UP 6.3%    PSA Corp.'s Singapore container terminals handled 1.42 million TEUs in March, the port's highest throughput in 17 months.
   The March total marked a 6.3 percent improvement over March 2001, while year-to-date totals were 8.5 percent ahead of the same period in 2001.
   PSA said the strong first-quarter performance was due to increased transshipment volumes across all major markets, but particularly for China, Europe and South Asia.
   PSA Corp.'s overseas container terminals saw March totals grow 39.1 percent and first-quarter results rise 41.1 percent. The results included volumes handled at Ghuangzhou Container Terminal, which started operations in July 2001 under a joint-venture company formed between PSA and China's Guangzhou Harbour Bureau.
   Overall, PSA Group's terminals posted an 11.7-percent increase in March volumes, with first-quarter volumes 13.8 percent ahead of the year-earlier period.