China box volume up 24pc, to reach 94m TEU in '06

China's container throughput is expected to grow by 24 per cent year on year to reach 94 million TEU by the end of the year.The total cargo volume is expected to exceed 5.5 billion tons - an increase of 18 per cent over 2005 - according to Xinhua News Agency, which quoted a source in the Ministry of Communications. The report cited the Vice Minister of Communications Xu Zuyuan as saying that there will be an additional 265 new seaport berths in China by the end of the year and they will be capable of handling an extra 548 million tons of freight. This will bring to a total of 3.43 million tons of cargo handled by mainland seaports. At the same time, there will be extra 165 new berths built along river ports by the end of this year, generating an extra capacity of 19.5 million tons. The report explained that last year mainland seaports handled 90 per cent of China's foreign freight, and this percentage is expected to grow in 2006.