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Container volumes at the world's top nine ports fell by six percent in September from the previous month, an indication of weakening demand in global trade, market intelligence provider Alphaliner said in its weekly report.
Shanghai, Singapore, Hong Kong and six other leading container ports all reported a drop in volume after reaching this year's peak in August.
"Volumes are expected to remain weak throughout the coming four months, as the seasonally weak winter period approaches," Alphaliner said.
Shanghai continues to extend its lead over the second-placed Singapore. Shanghai has surpassed Singapore’s throughput volumes for six consecutive months and now looks certain to end the year as the busiest container port in the world for the first time.
Singapore’s volumes have suffered since reaching an early peak in July. The port’s September volumes are 11 percent lower than the July figures.
Apart from lower volumes from the region, Singapore and a few other hubs have also been affected by the rise of Cai Mep (Ho Chi Minh City Area), as more direct calls at the Vietnamese port have affected up to 100,000 TEU a month of containers previously transhipped at the hubs of Singapore, Hong Kong and Kaohsiung.
Hong Kong also lost ground to Shenzhen, with handling volumes lagging behind those of the Shenzhen ports since July.
However, Hong Kong is still expected to retain its number three position in the global rankings for this year due to its stronger liftings during the first half of 2010. However, based on current trends, Shenzhen might well topple its southern neighbor by next year and thus reach the number three spot for the first time.
The industry, which is closely linked to global economic growth, is estimated to have lost as much as US$15 billion last year as container traffic tumbled by nearly 10 percent.
Cargonews Asia
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