Value of China ocean trade up 21.1% in 2007

The value of ocean trade through China grew 21.1 percent in 2007 to $46.8 billion, according to statistics released Tuesday at a conference in the country's Hunan province.

In terms of volume, no country comes close to matching China's prowess as a cargo-handling nation.

China's shipbuilding industry grew healthily as well, at a 17.6 percent clip over 2006 to $6.4 billion, Xinhua news service reported Wednesday. The country's shipbuilding sector constructed ships with a total capacity of 18 million deadweight tons in 2007 and took orders for ships with a total capacity of 80 million dwt. 

Source: American Shipper