Container trade through Port Botany reached over 177,340 TEU in May 2012, up by 9.7 per cent on May 2011.
Full containerised imports for May 2012 reached 87,510 TEU, 8.6 per cent higher than May 2011. This is due to increased volumes of machinery and transport equipment, including electrical items such as washing machines, TVs and general household appliances.
Chemical imports also increased by 10.6 per cent, with the majority being imported fromUSAandChina. Miscellaneous manufactured articles which include furniture, toys and other consumer products also increased by 12.6 per cent.
Combined, these commodities represent over 59 per cent of total full containerised imports. The majority of containerised imports were sourced from East Asia (47.2 per cent) and Europe(14.3 per cent), which combined accounted for over 61 per cent of total container imports through Port Botany.
Full containerised exports reached 41,302 TEU in May 2012, up by 12.5 per cent on the same period last year.
The leading containerised exports for the month of May were machinery and transport equipment, chemicals and cereals. Combined, these commodities represent 30 per cent of total exports.
Cotton was also up by 18 per cent compared to last year due largely to an early start to the cotton season and additional demand from Asia. India, which is the world