[2020 National Audit] Yeosu and Gwangyang Ports Rank 1st in Vessel Waiting Time... Urgent Need to Improve Efficiency

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwangho Lee] The congestion rate, which refers to the proportion of ships waiting for more than 12 hours at anchorage due to a lack of berthing space after entering ports managed by Yeosu·Gwangyang Port Authority, has been found to be higher than other ports, highlighting the urgent need to improve port operation efficiency.

According to data on the 'Congestion Rates at Ports under Port Authorities' Jurisdiction over the Past Five Years' received on the 20th by Kim Young-jin, a member of the National Assembly's Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Oceans and Fisheries Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, from four port authorities including Busan, Ulsan, Incheon, and Yeosu·Gwangyang, the congestion rate at ports under Yeosu·Gwangyang Port Authority recorded 4.63% as of June this year.

Compared to the same period, Busan Port Authority (0.28%), Ulsan Port Authority (1.75%), and Incheon Port Authority (0.75%) showed significantly lower figures.

The Yeosu·Gwangyang area ports showed high congestion rates of 3.74%, 4.26%, 4.68%, and 4.67% from 2016 to 2019, respectively, and maintained a high congestion rate of 4.63% up to June this year.

In particular, the docks such as Jungheung, Nakpo, and Sapo located in the petrochemical industrial complex in the Yeosu area, despite having established congestion mitigation plans for each dock, recorded an average congestion rate of 28.3% over the past five years, identified as a major cause of raising the overall port congestion rate average.

Assemblyman Kim said, "It is a serious problem that Yeosu·Gwangyang Port, the number one port in South Korea for import and export cargo volume as of last year, recorded a high congestion rate, causing ships to fail to complete cargo transportation within the scheduled time and lowering port operation competitiveness," adding, "Effective measures to improve ship accessibility should be promptly prepared targeting docks with high congestion rates to enhance port operation efficiency."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.