XN000022-1992-07-30 — Page 4

THURSDAY, JULY 30, 1992

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THE NUMBER OF INCOMING SHIPS WITH A CAPACITY OF LESS THAN 10,000 DEADWEIGHT TONS INCREASED BY 733 WHILST THE NUMBER OF THOSE WITH A LARGER CAPACITY INCREASED BY 333.

IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 1992, THERE WERE 5,698 OUTGOING SHIPS WITH A TOTAL CAPACITY OF 31.2 MILLION NRT, REPRESENTING AN INCREASE OF 1,014 (OR 22%) IN NUMBER AND OF 4.1 MILLION NRT (OR 15%) IN CAPACITY OVER THE FIRST QUARTER OF 1991.

THE TOTAL TONNAGE OF CARGO LOADED ONTO OUTGOING SHIPS WAS 5.6 MILLION TONNES, REPRESENTING AN INCREASE OF 13%.

OF

AS

OVER THE SAME PERIOD OF COMPARISON, CHANGES IN THE NUMBER OUTGOING SHIPS BY SHIP TYPE, FLAG, AND CAPACITY ARE ABOUT THE SAME THOSE RECORDED FOR INCOMING SHIPS, AS ABOUT 73% OF THE DEPARTING SHIPS STAYED IN HONG KONG FOR LESS THAN TWO DAYS.

OF THE CARGO DISCHARGED FROM INCOMING SHIPS, 86% IN TERMS OF TONNAGE WAS IMPORTS AND 14% WAS TRANSHIPMENT CARGO.

OF THE CARGO LOADED ONTO OUTGOING SHIPS, 63% (INCLUDING DOMESTIC EXPORTS AND RE-EXPORTS) AND 37% WAS CARGO.

WAS EXPORTS TRANSHIPMENT

THE MAJOR COUNTRIES OF LOADING FOR SEABORNE IMPORTS WERE SINGAPORE (WHICH ACCOUNTED FOR 16% IN TONNAGE TERMS), JAPAN (16%). CHINA (10%), TAIWAN (9%), THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA (8%), AUSTRALIA (7%) AND INDONESIA (7%); WHILE THE MAJOR COUNTRIES OF DISCHARGE FOR SEABORNE EXPORTS WERE THE USA (WHICH ACCOUNTED FOR 21% IN TONNAGE TERMS), CHINA (19%), TAIWAN (12%), JAPAN (5%), SINGAPORE (4%) AND THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY (4%),

TRANSHIPMENT CARGO WAS MAINLY LOADED IN CHINA (31%) AND THE USA (14%), AND WAS MAINLY DISCHARGED ALSO IN CHINA (21%) AND THE USA (15%).

COMPARING THE FIRST QUARTERS OF 1992 AND 1991, MAJOR INCREASES IN TONNAGE WERE NOTED FOR SEABORNE IMPORTS FROM THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA (+78%), INDONESIA (+67%), THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA (+60%), AUSTRALIA (+36%) AND JAPAN (+34%); WHILE A MAJOR DECREASE IN TONNAGE WAS NOTED FOR SEABORNE IMPORTS FROM CHINA(-14%).

AS A WHOLE, THE TOTAL TONNAGE OF SEABORNE IMPORTS ROSE BY 22%.

AMONG THE PRINCIPAL COMMODITIES, MAJOR INCREASES IN CARGO TONNAGE WERE RECORDED FOR SEABORNE IMPORTS OF ARTIFICIAL RESINS AND PLASTIC MATERIALS (+49%), STONE, SAND AND GRAVEL (+48%), PETROLEUM, PETROLEUM PRODUCTS AND RELATED MATERIALS (+43%), COAL, COKE AND BRIQUETTES (+39%), AND PAPER, PAPER BOARD AND ARTICLES THEREOF (+21%).

QUARTERS OF 1992 AND 1991, THE TOTAL (DOMESTIC EXPORTS PLUS RE-EXPORTS)

COMPARING THE

TONNAGE OF SEABORNE INCREASED BY 18%.

FIRST EXPORTS

/MAJOR INCREASES