Sihanoukville Autonomous Port (PAS), which operates the
Kingdom’s only deepsea port, reported a modest increase in container
traffic during the first six months of the year, compared to a year
earlier, a trend its director said should result in higher profits for
the listed company.
Data obtained from PAS yesterday showed a total of 211,719 20-foot
equivalent units, or TEU, passed through the seaport between January and
June of this year, an 8 percent increase compared to the same period in
2016. The higher throughput follows a slowdown in growth last year in
which container traffic increased by just 2 percent.
Lou Kim Chhun, director general of PAS, said yesterday that the
rebound in container traffic growth was the result of Cambodia’s vibrant
import and export market, which should be expected for a country that
is enjoying 7 percent GDP growth. PAS also recently added new
rubber-tyred gantry cranes, which expanded its handling capacity and
helped to build more confidence in the port’s operations, he noted.
“Based on the good performance in the first half, we expect
double-digit growth of container traffic this year,” he said. “The
increased growth of cargo traffic will enlarge our profit margin, which
in turn will enable us to distribute high dividends to our stock
investors.”
The increase in port container traffic was distributed evenly between
imports and exports.
According to PAS data, imports increased by 8.4
percent year-on-year to 107,181 TEU during the first half, while exports
increased by 7.7 percent year-on-year to 104,538.
PAS debuted on Cambodia’s stock exchange in June
after an initial public offering that raised $27 million. It was the
fifth company to list on the Cambodian Securities Exchange.
Source - PhnomPenhPost
