Melbourne hits Oz record, up 10pc to 217,000 TEU in October

THE Port of Melbourne set a national record with container traffic increasing 10.4 per cent in October year on year to 217,000 TEU, surpassing the August's record high of 210,985 TEU, reported the port authority.

"By any measure, 2010 has seen an impressive trade performance, particularly the rebound in containers following the global financial crisis," said port CEO Stephen Bradford.

Overall trade through the port also reached a new high, handling a record 7.28 million revenue tonnes in October, increasing 7.6 per cent year on year and up 11.7 per cent for the financial year to date, reported Australia's Transport & Logistics News.

This the first time an Australian port has handled the equivalent of 7,000 TEU per day on average for a monthly reporting period, said the Port of Melbourne Corporation (PoMC). For the financial year to date, PoMC's core container trade is up 11.9 per cent, handling a total volume of 2.324 million TEU in the 12 months to 31 October.

Full container imports for October increased 8.1 per cent on the same period last year, up 8.6 per cent for the year to date. Similarly, full container exports increased 10 per cent, up 8.8 per cent year to date.

Empties also continued to rise, increasing 16 per cent on October last year, and up 25.6 per cent year to date.
(Source:www.schednet.com)