Cargo handling at S. Korean ports falls 6.4 pct in 2009

SEOUL, Jan. 25 (Yonhap) -- The volume of cargo handled at South Korean seaports
declined 6.4 percent in 2009 due to the global economic downturn, data showed
Monday.

According to the data compiled by the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime
Affairs, a total of 1.07 billion TEUs, or 20-foot equivalent units, were
processed at local seaports, compared with 1.14 billion TEUs a year earlier.
In December alone, local seaports handled 94.58 million TEUs, up 2.9 percent, or
3.04 million TEUs from a month earlier, the ministry said.
From a year earlier, the December figure was also up 7.3 percent, according to
the ministry.
Containers processed at local seaports amounted to 16.28 million TEUs last year,
down 9.2 percent.
Last month, the volume of containers handled at local seaports jumped 18.7
percent from a year earlier to 1.55 million TEUs, it said.
sam@yna.co.kr
(END)

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