The volume of cargo processed at South Korea's seaports increased almost 2 percent on-year in the first half of 2016, government data showed Tuesday.

Cargo handled at the country's seaports totaled 739.77 million tons during the six months, up 1.9 percent from a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.

Trade cargo totaled 608.96 million tons, while domestic shipments came to 130.81 million tons.

The increase came from the larger amount of non-container cargo, which climbed 3 percent on-year. But container cargo volume fell 0.4 percent on-year to some 12.8 million twenty-foot-equivalent-units.

By port, the country's largest port in Busan handled 9.62 million TEUs, down 1.5 percent from the first half of last year.

Incheon Port, on the other hand, posted an 8.2-percent rise to 1.23 million TUEs.

"In the first half, cargo volume stood at the level of the previous year," a ministry official said. "In the second half, a positive factor is expected from improved global economic and trade situations and the expansion of Panama Canal." (Yonhap)