According to data released by the Statistics Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, the port cargo throughput in the third quarter of 2023 in Hong Kong decreased by 8.2% compared to the same period a year ago, to 45.3 million tons. Among them, the goods at the port of arrival and the goods at the port of departure decreased by 5.9% and 11.9% respectively compared to the same period a year ago, to 28.9 million tons and 16.4 million tons.
The port cargo throughput in the first nine months of 2023 decreased by 9.0% compared to the same period a year ago, to 131 million tons. Among them, the goods at the port of arrival and the goods at the port of departure decreased by 8.3% and 10.2% respectively compared to the same period a year ago, to 83.4 million tons and 47.6 million tons.
The seasonally adjusted port cargo throughput in the third quarter of 2023 increased by 1.3% compared to the previous quarter. Among them, the goods at the port of arrival and the goods at the port of departure increased by 1.8% and 0.3% respectively compared to the previous quarter. Seasonally adjusted sequences can be used for more meaningful short-term comparisons, helping to identify potential changes in their trends.
Port cargo
In the third quarter of 2023, port cargo for sea and river transportation decreased by 12.0% and 0.4% respectively compared to the same period a year ago, to 29.3 million tons and 16 million tons.
In the first nine months of 2023, sea and river freight decreased by 12.4% and 1.5% respectively compared to the same period a year ago, to 86.8 million tons and 44.2 million tons, respectively.
In the third quarter of 2023, compared with the same period a year ago, the main loading countries/regions with double-digit weight declines in goods arriving at ports were South Korea (down 28.2%), Japan (down 26.1%), Vietnam (down 22.9%), the United States (down 22.7%), and Taiwan (down 15.4%). The main unloading country/region with a double-digit increase in weight recorded in the departure port cargo is Australia (24.8% increase). On the other hand, Taiwan (down 32.6%), the United States (down 28.4%), South Korea (down 28.2%), Japan (down 25.0%), Vietnam (down 21.6%), Malaysia (down 14.5%), and the Philippines (down 14.1%) recorded double-digit declines.
In the first nine months of 2023, compared to the same period a year ago, the main loading countries/regions with double-digit weight declines in goods arriving at ports were Vietnam (down 30.5%), Taiwan (down 27.0%), Japan (down 24.1%), and South Korea (down 21.9%). The main unloading countries/regions that recorded double-digit weight declines in departing port goods were the United States (down 34.3%), Taiwan (down 32.3%), Japan (down 22.5%), South Korea (down 20.0%), Vietnam (down 19.1%), and Malaysia (down 13.0%).
In the third quarter of 2023, compared with the same period a year ago, the main goods with double-digit weight changes in arriving port goods were "petroleum, petroleum products and by-products" (up 21.9%), "stone, sand and gravel" (up 16.5%), "coal, coking coal and coal balls" (down 12.6%), and "machinery" (down 16.3%). The main goods with double-digit weight changes recorded at the port of departure are "stone, sand and gravel" (up 12.0%), "artificial resin and plastics" (down 11.9%), "pulp and waste paper" (down 15.2%), "animals and their products mainly used for food" (down 16.3%), and "machinery" (down 19.9%).
In the first nine months of 2023, compared with the same period a year ago, the main goods with double-digit weight changes in arriving port goods were "petroleum, petroleum products and by-products" (up 26.9%) and "machinery" (down 16.3%). The main goods with double-digit weight changes recorded at the port of departure are "stone, sand and gravel" (up 24.6%), "artificial resin and plastic" (down 11.2%), and "machinery" (down 19.2%).
container
In the third quarter of 2023, Hong Kong ports processed 3.67 million TEU containers, a decrease of 12.8% from the same period a year ago. Among them, heavy and empty containers decreased by 13.8% and 9.1%, respectively, to 2.9 million TEUs and 770000 TEUs. Among the heavy containers, the arrival and departure containers decreased by 14.9% and 12.5%, respectively, to 1.55 million TEUs and 1.35 million TEUs.
In the first nine months of 2023, Hong Kong's ports processed 10.79 million TEUs, a decrease of 14.6% from the same period a year ago. Among them, heavy and empty containers decreased by 15.9% and 9.6%, respectively, to 8.52 million TEUs and 2.27 million TEUs. Among the heavy containers, the arrival and departure containers decreased by 17.3% and 14.2%, respectively, to 4.57 million TEUs and 3.95 million TEUs.
The seasonally adjusted heavy container throughput in the third quarter of 2023 decreased by 0.6% compared to the previous quarter. Among them, arriving cargo containers increased by 0.2%, while departing cargo containers decreased by 1.5%.
The sea and river freight containers in the third quarter of 2023 decreased by 11.6% and 18.6% respectively compared to the same period a year ago, to 2.06 million TEUs and 840000 TEUs.
The sea and river freight containers for the first nine months of 2023 decreased by 15.7% and 16.3% respectively compared to the same period a year ago, to 6.08 million TEUs and 2.45 million TEUs.
Arrival vessel number
In the third quarter of 2023, compared with the same period a year ago, the number of ocean going ships arriving at Hong Kong increased by 8.1% to 4714, and their total capacity also increased by 23.0% to 76.4 million net tons. At the same time, the number of inland river ships arriving at the port increased by 44.2%, reaching 19686 ships, and the total capacity also increased by 9.2%, reaching 19 million net tons.
In the first nine months of 2023, compared with the same period a year ago, the number of ocean going ships arriving at Hong Kong increased by 15.7% to 14025, and their total capacity also increased by 27.4% to 224.3 million net tons. At the same time, the number of inland river ships arriving at the port increased by 42.6%, reaching 52846 ships, and the total capacity also increased by 14.5%, reaching 54.7 million net tons.
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