Total trade through the Port of Melbourne has grown 7.3 percent setting a monthly record of 7.81 million revenue tonnes
November 17, 2011
Total trade through the Port of Melbourne has grown 7.3 percent setting a monthly record of 7.81 million revenue tonnes.
The Port of Melbourne Corporation (PoMC) says the strong trade performance for October represented an 11.3 percent increase in container throughput, setting a new Australian record of 241,478 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units).
“Total full container imports and exports both showed strong increases compared to the same month last year,” PoMC says in a statement.
The record container throughput for October surpasses the previous monthly high of 232,881 TEU handled in August this year.
With container growth up 9.8 percent for the financial year to date, the Port of Melbourne reached a total throughput of 2.47 million TEU for the 12-month period ending 31 October.
Commodities contributing to the increase in full container imports were builders’ hardware, which rocketed 90 percent, miscellaneous food preparations up 64 percent and vehicle parts and machinery which both jumped 51 percent.
Metal manufactures was up 40 percent while paperboards increased 36 percent, plastic ware was up 33 percent and furniture grew by 26 percent.
Full container exports also recorded very strong growth in October, increasing 19.5 percent over October last year and
were up 11.5 percent for the year to date.
The leading full container export commodities were cotton, rice, barley, paper and newsprint and wheat.
Liquid bulk trade recorded a 27.4 percent increase over the same month last year while dry bulk saw a 17 percent decline following significant growth in the previous two months.