COSCO Shipping Ports (CSP) continues to perform well in September, with overall volumes rising 18 per cent to 7.7 million TEU from 6.5 million TEU in the same month last year, driven by huge gains in its overseas investments and recovery in traditional markets such as the Pearl River Delta and Yangtze River Delta regions.

CSP's overseas ports saw throughput increase dramatically by 47 per cent to 1.5 million TEU from just over 1 million TEU previously as volumes at its Turkey investment in Kumport and at European terminals in Antwerp and Zeebrugge spiked. Meanwhile volumes at Busan Port Terminal also nearly doubled to 288,300 TEU, according to Seatrade Maritime News of Colchester, UK.

The traditional hub of the Bohai Rim continues to lag, with the slowest growth of a still not shabby 7 per cent to 1.4 million TEU while the other key regions of the Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta outpaced it at 8 per cent and 18 per cent to 1.6 million TEU and 2.6 million TEU respectively.

The emerging ports on the Southeast and Southwest coasts meanwhile continue to forge ahead with 16 per cent and 54 per cent growth to 447,700 TEU and 131,700 TEU respectively as the new markets keep up the good pace into the high season.