Freight shipments through Phnom Penh Autonomous Port saw year-on-year growth of 30 per cent in the first nine months of the year, according to official PPAP figures.

The total number twenty-foot equivalent units that passed through the port hit 60,810 between January and August, up from 46,955 TEUs in the same period in 2010.

The port saw large increases in the shipment of goods such as agricultural products, construction materials and garment, textile and footwear products, PPAP Director General Hei Bavy told the Post yesterday.

“We expect the shipments to surpass our predictions for the year, with rice exports the largest factor in ensuring this.”

About 5,000 tonnes of rice per week were shipped from the port to European countries such as France, Germany and Russia via Vietnam’s Cai Mep port, he said.

Hei Bevy added that freight shipments through the port are expected to increase to around 75,000 to 80,000 TEUs, up from 62,256 in the same period last year.

Some companies operating at the port had also seen an increase in the shipment of their products.

International shipping company Damco Cambodia Co, which operates at PPAP, cited garment exports as the main factor for the increase.

“Our businesses shipments increased 20 per cent in the first nine months of the year. Most of the goods we transported were garment and textile products," said country manager Andy Lim. 

He added that the majority of garment products were exported to the US and Europe.