Vehicle registrations, container volumes dip

29 November 2012 03:18 am Views - 3968

Vehicle registration in September fell 44.8 percent from a year earlier to 26,427, amidst registration of motor cars, goods and transport and dual purpose vehicles falling sharply, the latest data released by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka showed.

The registration of motor cars fell 71.7 percent year-on-year (YoY) to 1,406, while registration of goods and transport vehicles fell 60.8 percent YoY to 634. The registration of dual purpose vehicles fell 54.9 percent YoY to 654.

The registration of motorcycles and three-wheelers also fell 48.3 percent and 32.3 percent YoY to 12,205 and 8,308, respectively.

The total vehicle registrations up to September fell 18.1 percent YoY to 315,902, led by a sharp fall in the motor car segment that fell 39.2 percent YoY to 26,890.

The registration of motorcycles and three-wheelers also fell sharply during the period up to December-- motorcycles by 71.9 percent YoY to 154,714 and three wheelers by 25.7 percent YoY to 74,853.

Meanwhile, the container handling activities at the Colombo port also slowed down with the total container handling falling 3.3 percent YoY to 329,199 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs).

The data further showed that during September, 335 ships called at Sri Lankan ports against 360 ships that called in September 2011. The number of ships called at local ports up to September 2012 stood at 3,127, down by 4.1 percent.

The total number of domestic containers handled during September fell 8.3 percent YoY to 79,106 TEUs, while trans-shipment fell 2.1 percent to 242,454 TEUs.

The trans-shipments handled up to September fell 1.5 percent YoY to 2,328,099 and the total domestic containers during the period fell 1.4 percent YoY to 776,557 TEUs.

The cargo handled in September amounted to 5,311,777 metric tonnes, down by 1.2 percent YoY. However, the total cargo handled up to September rose 1.6 percent YoY to 49,041,370 metric tonnes.