Container traffic at the Port of Shimizu continued its upward trend in July as Japan International Freight Forwarders Association (JIFFA) reported. The central Japan port handled 35,521 TEUs of foreign-trade containers during the month, a 2.4% increase year-on-year, marking the fifth consecutive month of growth.
Exports of loaded containers edged up slightly to 13,291 TEUs, a 0.5% rise. Imports were stronger, climbing 7.3% to 17,343 TEUs. However, empty containers dropped 7.5% to 4,887 TEUs.
Domestic container movement took a hit, falling 18.8% to 8,236 TEUs. That dip pulled overall throughput for July down by 2.4%, to 43,757 TEUs.
Between January and July, Shimizu processed 234,912 TEUs in foreign-trade containers, up 2.1% from the same period last year. Exports totaled 86,918 TEUs, up 0.4%, while imports rose 2.7% to 114,805 TEUs. Empty containers also saw gains, rising 4.8% to 33,189 TEUs.
Overall container throughput for the first seven months reached 298,288 TEUs — a 1% increase year-on-year.
