News

Container trade through Port Botany grew by 6.1 per cent in May 2011 compared with the same month last year, Sydney Ports chief executive officer Grant Gilfillan said.

“For the month of May 2011, total container volume through Port Botany was over 161,750 TEU - with the port handling an average of 5,200 TEU per day.

“As the financial year draws to a close, Port Botany remains on track to register its tenth consecutive annual growth record.

“Total container trade through Port Botany reached 1.855 million TEU for the financial year to date (1 July 2010 to 31 May 2011), representing an increase of 5.7 per cent on the same period last year.

“These figures also confirm that on an annualised basis, Port Botany’s container trade volumes will hit the 2 million TEU mark for the first time ever,” Mr Gilfillan said.

Full containerised exports reached 36,720 TEU, in May 2011 similar to the record levels experienced in May last year.

The primary drivers of growth in full containerised exports for May 2011 were chemicals, which includes plastic materials and resins, and machinery and transport equipment, which includes electrical and non-electrical machinery such as generators. Combined, these commodities represent 18 per cent of total full containerised exports in May 2011.

Full containerised imports for May 2011 reached over 80,640 TEU, 9.7 per cent higher than May 2010.

The key import commodities for May 2011 were machinery & transport equipment, which includes whitegoods, televisions and non-electrical machinery, and miscellaneous manufactures, which includes a vast array of consumer products from musical instruments to toys and buttons. Stronger import volumes of chemicals and paper products were also registered in May 2011. Combined, these four commodity groups represent over 65 per cent of total containerised imports.

For the financial year to date (1 July 2010 to 31 May 2011), full containerised exports reached 417,220 TEU, a 4.3 per cent increase on the same period last year. Exports from regional NSW such as cotton (up 16.4 per cent) and grain (up 6.3 per cent) have been the main drivers of this growth.

Over the same period, full containerised imports reached over 918,900 TEU, up 6.1 per cent on the same period last year. Key drivers of this growth were machinery and transport equipment, which includes electrical and non-electrical machinery, motor vehicle parts and accessories as well as power generation equipment. The port has also seen strong growth in imported chemicals which includes medicinal and pharmaceutical products along with organic and inorganic chemicals.

The majority of containerised imports were sourced from East Asia (46.6 per cent) and South East Asia (14.5 per cent), which combined account for over 61 per cent of total container imports through Port Botany.

Total trade for the financial year to date was approximately 27.2 million mass tonnes ― an increase of 7.2 per cent when compared to the same period last year.