Singapore's May container throughput fell 20.3% year-on-year as shipping activity slowed, data from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) showed.

May's container traffic slumped to 2.1 million TEUs from 2.63 million TEUs recorded in May 2008.

It was marginally higher than April's volume of 2.09 million TEUs.

Dominant operator PSA posted lower throughput of 2.04 million TEUs last month, down 19.4% compared to 2.53 million TEUs in the same period a year ago.

Month-on-month, PSA moved slightly higher throughput compared to 2.03 million TEUs in April.

Smaller port operator Jurong Port posted a sharp plunge in container throughput. Volumes plunged 44.7% to 52,000 TEUs in May 2009 from 94,000 TEUs in May 2008.

Jurong Port also handled fewer containers in May compared to 56,000 TEUs handled in April.

For the first five months this year, container movements were pegged at 9.93 million TEUs, down 18% from 12.11 million TEUs in the corresponding period last year.