Asia-Europe main ports' first quarter volumes increase, Mumbai sole decliner

ASIA-EUROPE container ports, which have reported first quarter results, all show increased box volumes except Mumbai's Nhava Sheva that slipped 3.7 per cent, reports Paris based maritime analysts Alphaliner.


The India slide was attributed to a first quarter cargo decline as Mumbai loses volume to Gujarat because shippers are looking to avoid congestion that started when a ship collision blocked the navigation channel last year, said Alphaliner, adding that the situation has also been compounded by labour trouble.


The main ports in Europe - Rotterdam and Antwerp - showed healthy growth rates of nine per cent in the first quarter, but unreported was the fact that rival Le Havre has been beset with labour trouble throughout this period. (The only US port cited with first quarter results in was LA-Long Beach with an 8.5 per cent growth rate.)


North China and Korean ports scored highest in growth, consistently hitting double digits with 21.7 per cent for Tianjin, 21 per cent for Ningbo, 17.6 per cent for Qingdao, 13.9 per cent for Busan, 12.7 per cent for Dalian and 12.1 per cent for Shanghai.


Slow gainers were the southernmost with Hong Kong posting 2.4 per cent growth, Shenzhen, 2.6 per cent and Singapore growing 2.1 per cent, and as mentioned Nhava Sheva slipping 3.7 per cent.


Southern exceptions were the 18 per cent growth posted by Malaysia's Tanjung Pelepas and 14.4 increase by Ho Chi Minh City's Cai Mep port.


Breaking it down in main port clusters, Alphaliner said the Pearl River Delta grew 2.4 per cent while the Yangtze River Delta main ports were up 15 per cent, and further north on the Yellow Sea, Chinese ports were up 18 per cent.


The three major south east Asian ports, Singapore, Port Kelang and Tanjung Pelepas reported a combined growth of six per cent in the first quarter, although the performance was mixed with Singapore losing market share to its Malaysian neighbours.


"Singapore continued to lose ground to its main competitors, posting a low 2.1 per cent growth rate in the first three months of the year," said Alphaliner.


Apart from slower growth in their respective regions, Singapore and the south China ports have also lost significant transhipment volumes from Vietnam due to the rise of Cai Mep volumes which continued to attract more port calls, "resulting in the loss of about 350,000 TEU in the first quarter at its former transhipment hubs," said Alphaliner.
(Source:http://www.schednet.com)