East Asia's container trade is poised to accelerate with the rapid economic advance in the region and the vibrancy of hub ports such as Hong Kong and Singapore, according to a new study by a British-based consultancy firm.
Ocean Shipping Consultants said throughput at the region's container ports soared 572 per cent to 60.99 million teu (20-foot equivalent units) from 1980 to 1995.
Given the dynamism of the region's economies, container port volumes are set to leap to 105.2 million teu by 2000, a rise of 72 per cent.
Further growth to 190.21 to 254.84 million teu is predicted by 2008, depending on the pace of growth within the range of forecast scenarios.
Two cases were used in the study: one based mainly on more, Case 2, or less, Case 1, involving protectionist trade in the developed countries.
By last year, East Asia, including China and Southeast Asia, provided 43.3 per cent of the world's container port throughput, compared with 25 per cent in 1980.