Container throughput at Adelaide still slow through October

FULL container throughput at Port Adelaide continued to shrink in October, sinking to a new nadir last month, according to the latest available trade statistics from Flinders Ports, which manages South Australia’s main container port.

Port Adelaide’s full container throughput in October was 20,072 TEU. This was the lowest monthly full container throughput since Flinders Ports started reporting monthly container throughput more than five years ago. The average monthly throughput at the port for the past five years is 26,627 TEU.

Last month’s total full container throughput at Adelaide was a decrease of 19% on the same month last year, which saw 24,669 TEU cross the wharves.

October 2021’s throughput was also lower than September 2021 – a decrease of less than one percent.

Full imports of containerised cargo rose 18% in October, compared with the previous month, to 10,680 TEU.

However, total full exports fell by 15% over the same period to 9392 TEU in October.

Turning to empty containers, we see a 72% increase in empties moving through the port in October, compared with the previous month. October saw 4224 empty boxes cross the Adelaide wharves. The average monthly empty container throughput for the 2021 calendar year so far is 3534 TEU.