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Seaport revenues soar 51%
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Posted on Jul 12 2000
Revenues generated from three sea transport facilities in the Northern Marianas increased Commonwealth Ports Authority earnings by $166,406 in May, soaring 51 percent to $490,661 from last year of the same month’s $324,255.
In a report, CPA Comptroller Dave S. Demapan said the 51 percent growth in seaport operating revenues was spurred by the implementation of the new harbor fees since July 1999.
CPA recorded a 41-percent increase in revenues from dockage fees; 46 percent from entry charges; 36 percent from embarking passenger fees; 77 percent from wharfage; and 88 percent from bunker fees.
For the same period, traffic count at the Saipan International Harbor registered an eight percent growth to 78,355 gross revenue tonnage, spurred by an 11-percent increase in incoming cargoes with imported vehicles accounting for a 142 percent growth.
Other inbound commodities have also registered significant increases: tobacco by 10o percent; garment by 31 percent; and pol by five percent.
However, Saipan outbound cargoes dropped by a marginal two percent from 19,328 gross revenue tonnage last year to 18,954 in the period covering May 1-30, 2000.
Traffic count at the Rota harbor backslided 63 percent primarily because of dramatic decline in the entry of construction materials, vehicles, beverages, heavy equipment and cement.
The CPA financial report also documented a significant drop in the volume of outbound cargo at the Rota seaport, declining by 74 percent from 252 revenue tonnage to only 66 revenue tonnage in May 2000.
Tinian seaport registered a whooping 51 percent decline in the overall volume of cargo traffic during the same period. The 150 percent increase in outbound cargoes failed to offset the 57 percent reduction in the entry of cargoes into the island.
Overall expenditures incurred by the ports authority in operating all three harbors on Saipan, Tinian and Rota totaled $119,885, posting a 76 percent from last year’s $68,022.
