12 Kaohsiung Throughput: 9,676,554teu (-5.7%)

Kaohsiung port fell four places to 12th as its throughput declined by 5.7% to 9.68m teu last year. Transhipment accounted for 46% of throughput, while imports and exports made up 26% and 28% respectively.

As well as a sharp slump in US demand, the port points out that there was keen competition among the region's ports and local industries have been moving away.

In the first quarter of 2009, throughput at Kaohsiung fell 23.2%.

The port has started to build an overpass to improve the port's accessibility, due for completion in May 2010.

It will kick-off the tendering procedure for the first phase of the new dike at Kaohsiung Intercontinental Container Terminal in 2009. Construction of this NT$2.4bn (US$73m) project is due to finish by December 2010.

Kaohsiung Harbour Bureau will invite open bids for the lease of its terminal 75 when current tenant AP Møller-Maersk leaves this August. Both China Merchants and Cosco have shown interested in the port, but no deal has been confirmed.

The effect of the resumption of direct cross-strait shipping links between Taiwan and mainland China seems to have been offset by fierce competition from neighbouring ports, especially the brand new Taipei port.

Following an investigation launched in 2008 into allegations that the 2007 throughput figures of Kaohsiung were inflated to reach bonus-awarding target, 46 executives from the Harbour Bureau and eight shipping lines were indicted for corruption by Taiwan's prosecutor in June 2009. The case is ongoing and the accuracy of the port's 2007 figures remains uncertain.