The global financial crisis and the slowdown in the Chinese economy have affected throughput in the Yangtze trunkline ports. In October, the total cargo throughput was recorded at 32m tons, about 90 per cent of the total in the same month last year. This includes the throughput of foreign trade-related cargo of 5.8m tons, equivalent to just 89 per cent of the total last October. Among that, 2.3m tons were exports and 3.5m tons imports, representing 98 per cent and 84 per cent of the amounts last October. Container throughput continued to rise but at a significantly reduced pace. The major Yangtze ports recorded a total throughput of 508,000 teu, up 16 per cent over the same month last year. Among them, 248,000 teu were exports, up 15 per cent and 260,000 teu were imports, up 18 per cent.
The Yangtze Container Shipping Price Index, based on the weighted average of domestic and foreign trade-related containers on the major routes of Chongqing-Shanghai, Wuhan-Shanghai, Wuhu-Shanghai, Nanjing-Shanghai, Nantong-Shanghai and Zhangjiagang-Shanghai and released on the 15th day of the month, recorded a 1.4 per cent decrease over September to 1,021.82. The lower reaches of the river, the commercially busiest section, recorded a bigger fall of 2.02 per cent to 963.69.
The Yangtze Dry Bulk Shipping Price Index, based on the weighted average of a basket of 13 commodities including coal, iron ore, copper, cement, limestone, and sulphur on 26 major routes and also compiled on the 15th day of the month, recorded a 4.02 per cent fall to 1,006.68, compared with September. Among the commodities, falling demand for coal plunged the coal price index by 10.18 per cent to 899.64 within a month. The shipping index for construction material also recorded a significant fall of 6.26 per cent to 1,218.34 over September. The shipping index for non-metal ores fell by nearly three per cent to 1084.37, while that of metal ores fell only by 0.33 per cent.