935,000 TEU through Inchon last year

Inchon Port handled almost 935,000 TEU last year. According to the Inchon Regional Maritime & Fisheries Office, The Port handled 82,690 TEU in December of last year and handled 934,941 TEU cargoes for the whole year.

The Inchon Regional Maritime & Fisheries Office originally expected that it would handle 1,000,000 TEU at the beginning of last year. Although overseas container cargoes increased much, coastal cargoes were much less than expected.

Ocean going container cargoes exported and imported in 2004 through Inchon Port increased 17% as compared with the previous year.

Among them, imported cargoes recorded 451,311 TEU and exported cargoes recorded 377,080 TEU, increasing 15% and 19% respectively. Especially, transshipment cargoes increased to 4,764 TEU, up 59%. Transshipment cargoes increased because of increases in handling container cargoes through 'Sea & Air' mode. But coastal container cargoes decreased 6% during the same period.

An official from the office said, "Overseas container cargoes increased thanks to increases of containerization of bulk cargoes and container vessel increases, but coastal container cargoes decreased because of new government legislation that permits cargoes to be transported by overseas vessels."

Meanwhile, motor vehicle exports increased 62% as compared with the previous year with 460,401 cars transported last year. Among these, new motor vehicle exports increased 55% to 249,999 cars and used vehicle exports increased 70% to 210,402. The official from the Inchon office said, "Used motor vehicle exports increased thanks to duty-free export relations with Iraq."

Inchon port handled 115,229 tons, including both container and general cargoes, decreasing 12% as compared with the previous year.