Sea container traffic through Hong Kong, the world's busiest container port, rose seven percent to 20.4 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in 2003, the Census and Statistics Department said on Thursday.
Laden containers rose by eight percent from a year ago to 16.5 million TEUs and empty containers increased by two percent to 3.9 million TEUs, it said in a statement.
Hong Kong port is facing increased competition from terminal facilities in China's Shenzhen, where total handling charges and traffic costs are cheaper.
Hong Kong's Kwai Chung terminals, which accounted for about 60 percent of trade through the city, moved 12.07 million TEUs of goods in 2003 or up 1.5 percent from a year earlier.
The remainder was handled by cheaper river terminals and mid-stream operations.
Total port cargo throughput volume increased by eight percent to 207.6 million tonnes in 2003, with inward and outward port cargo rising seven percent and nine percent to 128.6 million tonnes and 79.1 million tonnes, respectively.
Hong Kong's biggest container terminal operators are Hutchison Whampoa and Modern Terminals Ltd, which is controlled by Wharf (Holdings) Ltd.