Taiwan International Ports Corporation (TIPC) experienced historically high revenue in 2023 despite a drop in container volumes, TIPC director Li Hsien-i (李賢義) stated in an interview on Thursday.
In 2023 the company recorded 13.6 million TEUs, which stands for twenty-foot equivalent unit and is a measure of cargo capacity, compared to the previous year's 15.45 million TEUs. Despite this, concerted marketing efforts resulted in revenue of NT$28.17 billion (close to US$909 million), up by NT$1.7 billion (US$ 54.8 million) from the previous year.
However, the company reported an estimated pre-tax net profit of NT$12.6 billion (US$ 406.5 million), slightly lower than NT$13.237 billion (over US$ 427 million) in 2022 due to factors such as reduced offshore wind power revenue and increased personnel costs.
The industry anticipates a return to the pre-pandemic glory of 2019 with an increasing number of cruise ships and passengers post-pandemic. The company predicts an expected 477 cruise ships this year, including 282 in Keelung and 159 in Kaohsiung.