BEIJING, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- Throughput at China's main ports is expected to grow at a robust rate of 10 percent year-on-year in the third quarter due to a low comparison base in 2010, the China Securities Journal quoted a shipping industry expert as saying on Wednesday.

However, shipping expert Chen Yi was not as upbeat about this year's fourth quarter throughput.

"Restricted by government policies and economic circumstances, throughput may grow at a slower pace in the fourth quarter," Chen said.

Port enterprises also expressed concerns over their second-half profitability. The SIPG Logistics Co., one of the country's largest port companies, said in its first-half report that the company will face many challenges over the rest of the year, including deteriorating economic momentum in developed countries, weakening global demand and high operation costs.

The country's throughput climbed 14 percent year-on-year to reach 770 million metric tons, the second-largest amount recorded this year, boosted by strong seasonal demand, according to data from the Ministry of Transport.

The sum of exports and imports hit 318.77 billion U.S. dollars in July with a trade surplus of 31.48 billion U.S. dollars.

The Shanxi Securities Co. dismissed the possibility of a sharp decline in the whole year's throughput. It said that it expects throughput at China's main ports to increase at a rate of 12 to 15 percent in 2011.

Source:Chen Zhi