Cargo handling at S. Korea's seaports rises 9.6 pct

The amount of cargo processed at South Korea's seaports soared 9.6 percent in October from a year earlier on the back of growing import and export cargo transport, the government said Wednesday.The volume of cargo handled at the country's seaports stood at 112.89 million tons last month, according to the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs.Oil products, pyrotechnic products, and bituminous coal were the main growth drivers, with each increasing 13.6 percent, 9.1 per cent, and 8.7 per cent, respectively, over the same period.The volume of container cargo handled at seaports also surged 15.8 percent year-on-year to nearly 1.88 million 20-foot- equivalent units (TEUs), the ministry said.Busan, the country's largest port, treated 1.41 million TEUs of container cargo last month, up 19.7 percent from a year ago. It retained its fifth place in the world in terms of container cargo handling."The amount of import-export cargo is growing despite worsening global economic conditions with the use of Busan port by global shipping companies as a base for transshipment cargo contributing to the growth," the ministry said in a press release.