05 February 2008
MEDIA RELEASE
For immediate release

Volumes soften at Ports of Auckland

Ports of Auckland is seeing signs of the economic slowdown with January container volumes down year-on-year.

Following a record high in December, container volumes for the month of January were 46,673, down 4.7% on the same month last year. As measured by the industry standard TEU (20-foot equivalent unit), volumes were 63,571, down 4.2%.
International cruise ship calls remained strong with 15 in January and another 24 scheduled for February, including the Queen Mary 2 – two more calls than for the same period last year.

Managing Director Jens Madsen said the company remained concerned about the economic outlook.

“Over the last few months, there have been reports of significant reductions in container volumes through major world ports such as Singapore and Long Beach. New Zealand seems to have remained fairly insulated from the impacts until now.”

“As flagged last month, we are gearing the business to cope with what appear to be very challenging times ahead,” Mr Madsen said.

ENDS

The Ports of Auckland is New Zealand’s largest container port by volume, handling around 840,000 TEU (20ft-equivalent units), more than 1,700 ship calls and 3.6 million tonnes of break-bulk (non-containerised) cargo per annum. It is New Zealand’s major import port and a key partner to export industries. The Ports of Auckland is 100%-owned by Auckland Regional Holdings.