HONG Kong's transport and logistics minister, Lam Sai-hung, has forecast that the city's container throughput global ranking in 2023 will fall one spot to 10th place, attributing the decline to "changes in the global economic environment and geopolitical issues."

Writing on his blog, Mr Lam noted that Hong Kong's container throughput in 2023 was 14.4 million TEU, lower than 16.68 million TEU the city handled in 2022, and 14.45 million TEU handled by Dutch port Rotterdam, which ranked number 10 in 2022 according to Marine Department data.

The city's ranking had slipped throughout the past years with experts often also attributing the decline to port competition from the mainland, reports Hong Kong's RTHK news.

"While some may focus on the declining trend, I believe it is crucial for us to seize the opportunity to consolidate and develop the advantages of Hong Kong's port and this has also been the ongoing direction of the Transport and Logistics Bureau's efforts," Mr Lam wrote.

Mr Lam emphasized the efforts being made to make Hong Kong's port "green" and "smart".

Citing the government's Maritime and Port Development Strategy Action Plan, he gave the example of developing Hong Kong into "a quality green maritime fuel bunkering centre".

Since overtaking Singapore in 2010, the world's top port in terms of container throughput has been Shanghai, according to data from the department.