Seoul: Cargo processed at South Korean seaports fell 2.2 percent from a year earlier in the second quarter amid continued uncertainties in the global trade landscape, the oceans ministry said Tuesday. Cargo handled at the country's seaports nationwide came to 387.76 million tons during the April-June period, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.
According to Yonhap News Agency, export-import cargo totaled 331.36 million tons, down 1.7 percent from the same period last year. Container cargo processed at seaports, however, rose 1.9 percent on-year to 8.26 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in the second quarter. Of these, 4.53 million TEUs were export-import cargo, a decrease of 0.6 percent from the previous year.
Amid a drop in shipments to the United States, total export cargo processed at seaports fell 1 percent on-year to 2.26 million TEUs. Import cargo shrank 0.2 percent to 2.28 million TEUs, partly due to a drop in shipments from China and Vietnam, the ministry said.
South Korea's handling of transshipment cargo, or cargo processed here en route to final destinations, added 5.3 percent on-year to 3.7 million TEUs. Non-container cargo handled at seaports fell 3.2 percent on-year to 247.07 million tons in the second quarter, the ministry said. By item, the volume of oil added 1.3 percent, and auto shipments gained 3 percent.