The Taichung Port has surpassed the Keelung Port to become the nation’s second-largest, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) said on Tuesday, citing statistics from harbor bureaus.
Taichung Harbor Bureau statistics showed that the total cargo handled at that port topped 90.7 million tonnes for the first time this month.
Kaohsiung Port, which handles about 381 million tonnes of cargo per year, is the nation’s largest seaport
Keelung Port handles about 63.5 million tonnes of cargo per year. Part of the cargo previously handled at Keelung Port is now processed at Taipei Port instead. The Taipei facility was opened in 2003.
The ministry said the total cargo handled reached 88.6 million tonnes between January and last month, registering 21 percent growth compared with same time last year. The total containers handled also grew by 13.92 percent.
The analysis from Taichung’s harbor bureau showed that several types of cargo have seen strong growth this year. Cement rose by 21.44 percent to more than 432,700 tonnes. Petrochemical products and liquefied natural gas increased by 66.82 percent to 2.2 million tonnes. The most extraordinary growth was seen in the automobile industry, which rose by 105.89 percent.
Meanwhile, the huge amount of land owned by Taichung Port has drawn 59 companies to invest in the port, with total investment topping NT$457.5 billion (US$15.3 billion). Thirty firms have also established operations in its free-trade zone.
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