Throughput at Taiwan international ports hits record high in 2021

Throughput at major international ports in Taiwan hit a new high in 2021, rising more than six percent from a year earlier as the country’s exports smashed records on the back of solid global demand, according to the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS).

Data compiled by the DGBAS showed cargo handled by such major international ports as Kaohsiung Port, Taichung Port, Taipei Port and Keelung Port, totaled about 750 million shipping tons, up 6.7 percent from a year earlier in 2021. Shipping tonnage is the measurement used to bill cargo handled by ports.

As Taiwan’s export performance improved in 2021, port throughput in the country reversed a year-on-year 3.8 percent decline in 2020 and a 1.4 percent drop in 2019, the DGBAS said.

In 2021, riding the wave of strong demand for emerging tech gadgets as well as raw materials as part of global economic recovery amid COVID-19, Taiwan’s exports climbed to a record high, registering annual growth of almost 30 percent.

The DGBAS said cargo loading volume hit about 308 million shipping tons in 2021, up 5.3 percent from a year earlier and accounting for 41.1 percent of total port throughput, while cargo unloading volume reached about 442 million shipping tons, up 7.7 percent from a year earlier and making up 58.9 percent of the total.

In terms of individual ports, Kaohsiung Port handled the largest cargo in 2021 with about 440 million shipping tons, which accounted for 58.6 percent of total throughput, ahead of Taichung Port (139 million shipping tons or 18.6 percent), Taipei Port (89.67 million shipping tons or 12 percent) and Keelung Port (65.46 million shipping tons or 8.7 percent), the DGBAS said.

In 2021, container cargo handled by these major ports in Taiwan totaled 552 million shipping tons, up 6 percent from a year earlier and accounting for 73.6 percent of the total, the DGBAS said.