The volume of container cargo processed at South Korea's seaports rose 1.3 percent on-year in the first quarter of 2021 as global trade continued to recover from economic jitters sparked by the new coronavirus pandemic, the country's oceans ministry said Thursday.

Container cargo processed at the seaports reached 7.29 million twenty-foot-equivalent units (TEUs) in the January-March period, rising from the previous year's 7.19 TEUs, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.

TEU stands for a 20-foot equivalent unit.

Processed export-import cargo jumped 4.5 percent on-year to reach 4.24 million TEUs in the first quarter. The ministry attributed the growth to stronger trade with China and Canada.

South Korea said it expects the amount of container cargo processed at seaports to continue to rise down the road in line with the global vaccine inoculation program, coupled with economic stimulus measures by major economies. (Yonhap)