Volumes have fallen for the twelve consecutive month at the Port of Hong Kong, down to 1.7 million TEU in June, 2015 in comparison to the 1.9 million TEU amount recorded in the same period in 2014, according to IHS Maritime 360.
Hong Kong previously saw an 11.7% reduction in its throughput year-on-year in April, 2015, which occurred as a result of a shrinking trucking segment and higher volumes of transhipment and barge traffic at the port.
Terminals operated by Hutchison Port Holdings at Kwai Tsing saw the biggest decline, with a drop in volumes of 14% compared to June, 2014.
In contrast, the Port of Shanghai’s throughput was up 4.4% in the first half of 2015, and handled a total of more than 35 million TEU in 2014.
Despite this considerable drop in container volumes at the Port of Hong Kong, China’s mega-ports are predicted to grow by an astonishing 6% year-on-year between now and 2020.
This will, presumably, take place against the backdrop of super container hubs which are expected to be built in Qingdao, Shanghai and Hong Kong.
More than 95% of China’s coastal ports are expected to consolidate their resources with other ports in the form of strategic co-operation and capital injection.
