NORTH China's Tangshan port in Hebei province recorded 24 per cent slide in container volume to 100,904 TEU year on year in the first half, reports Xinhua.

But the port's first-half overall cargo volume hit 78 million tonnes, up 43.9 per cent from a year earlier. Its Jingtang area handled 48.4 million tonnes with a 26.2 per cent rise and its Caofeidian area saw an 86.7 per cent hike to 29.7 million tonnes.

In the first six months, the port moved 22.8 million tonnes of coal, representing 23.8 per cent growth, 46.3 million tonnes of iron ore, a 75.4 per cent jump, and 50.1 million tonnes arising from foreign trade, up 76.6 per cent and accounting for 64.3 per cent of the total.