Rotterdam and Dubai set to overtake Kaohsiung
Taiwan's Kaohsiung Harbour is on the verge of losing its position as the world's sixth busiest container port, news reports said. According to port director Hsieh Ming-Hui, Kaohsiung is likely to be overtaken by the ports of Rotterdam and Dubai by the end of 2007. Container throughput statistics for this year's first quarter saw Kaohsiung handle 4.59% more containers than in the same period last year, compared to the 10% growth of Rotterdam and the 23% growth of Dubai, said Hsieh. Analysts have blamed Taiwan's ban on direct sea links with China for the under-performance of Kaohsiung's container throughput growth. The Taiwanese government however says the ban cannot be dropped due to national security concerns.