Cargo processed at South Korean seaports advanced 8.1 percent in the third quarter of this year as trade gained traction amid the global economic recovery from the pandemic, the oceans ministry said Sunday.

Cargo handled at the country's ports came to 393.03 million tons during the July-September period, up from 363.53 million tons a year earlier, according to the data by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.

Handling of export-import cargo surged 8.6 percent on-year to 338.85 million tons in the third quarter, as exports of auto and petrochemicals, and imports of raw materials expanded amid the global recovery, it showed.

Container cargo rose 3.2 percent on-year to 7.34 million twenty-foot-equivalent units (TEUs) in the July-September period.

Processed export-import container cargo inched up 1.3 percent on-year to 4.13 million TEUs in the third quarter, and transshipment cargo, or cargo processed here en route to final destinations, marked a 5.6 percent on-year growth to 3.18 million TEUs, according to the data.

The southeastern city of Busan was the country's busiest maritime gateway in the third quarter, handling 5.67 million TEUs of container cargo, followed by Incheon, 40 kilometers west of Seoul, with 810,000 TEUs, it showed. (Yonhap)