CONTAINER trade at Port Botany last month saw an increase, with upticks in both export and import volumes.
In October 2022, the port handled a total of 252,425 TEU – an increase of 7.6% on the same month last year.
Total throughput for first four months of the financial year also increased – it was up 7.2% to a total of 487,400 TEU.
Both import and export containers increased over the period, but exports saw a larger increase, up 10.7% on October last year to 127,554 TEU.
Containerised imports through Port Botany last month were 124,871 TEU, an increase of 4.6% on October 2021.
Port Botany’s top containerised import last month was machinery, with 20,956 TEU, an increase of 12.4% on October 2021. This was followed buy foodstuffs, beverages, tobacco at 15,720 TEU (up 26.1%) and miscellaneous manufactured articles at 15,617 TEU (down 21.4%).
The port’s top containerised export last month was vegetable products with 6509 TEU (down 6.9% on October 2021). This was followed by foodstuffs, beverages, tobacco at 6326 TEU (up 16.6%) and iron, steel, aluminium and other metals at 5294 TEU (down 10.5%).
Containership visits to Port Botany in October 2022 were significantly more numerous than the same month last year. A total of 107 containerships visited the port last month compared with 88 in October 2021. There was also a marked increase in containership visits for the first four months of the financial year, with 391 this year, compared with 337 in the 2021-22 financial year.
And turning our gaze to the south, we find increases in trade through Port Kembla as well.
Total trade through the port came to 2.64 million revenue tonnes in October 2022, an increase of 5.9% on the same month last year.
This increase was driven by exports, which increased 27.1% to 1.33 million revenue tonnes last month. Dry bulk exports saw big increases – up 23.4% to 1.1 million revenue tonnes. Break-bulk exports also saw increases – up 39.2% to 148,895 revenue tonnes.
Imports through Port Kembla, however, decreased over the period. The port saw 1.3 million revenue tonnes last month, compared with 1.44 million revenue tonnes in October 2021 – a decrease of 9.5%. This was largely driven by a decrease in dry bulk imports – down 29.3% 709,639 revenue tonnes.
Zooming into the ro-ro trade at Port Kembla, we find a sizeable increase in throughput. In October this year, the port handled 33,289 units – an increase of 42.6% on the same month last year.
