Throughout2003,thenumberofshippingoperationsbetweenSouthandNorthKoreatotaled2,022onaone-waybasis,up10.7percentfromayearearlier,
Throughout 2003, the number of shipping operations between South and North Korea totaled 2,022 on a one-way basis, up 10.7 percent from a year earlier, while the cargo volumes carried by those ships during the same period amounted to 1.04 million tons, down 0.7 percent from the previous year, the Ministry of Unification reported on Thursday, January 15.
The inter-Korean maritime traffic consisted of 877 northbound and 1,145 southbound boat operations. Incheon was the busiest port for northbound shipping operations with 241 vessels departing from Incheon, followed by Mukpo with 226 ships, Sokcho 215, and Busan 52.
Haeju in North Korea was the main port for southbound ships, with 255 boats operating out of the port, followed by Nampo (182), Najin (141), Goseong (140), and Heungnam (137).
In terms of cargo volume, Ulsan, with 202,939 tons, topped all South Korean ports, followed by Yeosu (164,700 tons), Gunsan (147,059), Mokpo (76,800), and Donghae (67,323). Most of the freight transported north were food aid, agricultural/forestry products, fertilizers, and textile/machinery items needed for processing-on-commission businesses.
Najin topped the North Korean ports with 65,763 tons of cargo, trailed by Heungnam (44,213 tons), Nampo (30,819), Gimchaek (25,741), and Haeju (21,064). Fishery, textile, and mining products were the major cargo items shipped to South Korea.
