Though China's port throughput maintained a fast growth, the growth rate has slowed down in the first half of 2005, according to a report of the Ministry of Communications Wednesday.

In the first six months this year, the throughput of China's major ports reached 1.87 billion tons, up 18.7 percent year-on-year, 7.5 percentage points less than the growth rate of the same term of last year.

Among the total, the throughput of coastal and inland ports reached 1.39 billion tons and 480 million tons respectively, up 18.0 percent and 20.7 percent, 7.1 percentage points and 9 percentage points less than that of the same term of last year.

The report said major ports finished a throughput of 660 million tons of foreign trade goods, up 17.6 percent, 5.7 percentage points less than that of the same term of last year.

Coal, oil, iron ore and container kept to be main goods for ships.

In the second quarter of this year, affected by the nation's macro-economic control, five major coal-using sectors, namely, power, steel, cement, oil processing and chemical raw material, was not as booming as before. Thus the growth rate of coal transported by ships also slowed down.

Another reason for the slow-down growth rate of coal transportation went to the country transported large amount of coal in the first quarter of 2005, and storage of power plants is sufficient.

At the same time, due to abundant water resources, electricity generated by water power increased 24.3 percent, 7.4 percentage points more than that of the same term of last year.

The report said coal transportation became less due to export quota changes by state. In the first five months in 2005, major ports transported 330 million tons of coal, with a 20.3 percent increase, 12.3 percentage points less than that of the first quarter of 2004.

Source: Xinhua