Sea container traffic through China's southern boom town of Shenzhen rose 41 percent in January from the same month last year, thanks to pre-Chinese New Year trade, the Shenzhen Port Authority said on Thursday. The New Year holidays fell in February this year and pre-New Year trade built up throughout January. Last year the holiday was in January, so there were fewer working days that month.

Shenzhen, which counts Beijing-backed China Merchants Holdings, Hutchison Whampoa Ltd and Wharf (Holdings) Ltd among its investors, moved 1.31 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of goods last month, a port official told Reuters.

Total throughput of 13.66 million TEU for the whole of 2004 was up 28 percent from the previous year.

Copyright Reuters, 2005