Cargo handling at S. Korean seaports up 10.6 pct in July

SEOUL, Aug. 24 (Yonhap) -- Cargo handling at South Korea's seaports moved up 10.6 percent in July from a year earlier, bolstered by more trade and steady economic growth, government data showed Wednesday. The volume of seaport cargo handled by Asia's fourth-largest economy amounted to 111.71 million tons last month, up from 101.04 million tons a year earlier, data released by the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs said. The growth mainly came from increased shipments of oil-related products, various metal ore and automobiles moving in and out of local seaports. Cargo shipments of oil products jumped 17.6 percent from a year earlier, while those of metal ore and cars gained 18.7 percent and 11.3 percent each over the same period in 2010. Handling of sand, cement and bituminous coal, however, contracted vis-a-vis the year before. Volume of container cargo handled at local seaports also jumped 13.2 percent last month to 1.89 million TEUs, or 20-foot equivalent units. The increase is mainly attributed to transshipment cargo that rose 21.3 percent on-year to 123,000 TEUs. Busan, the largest port, located in the nation's southeast, retained its fifth spot in the world in terms of container cargo handling, which amounted to 1.44 million TEUs in July, up 17.0 percent from a year earlier, the data showed.