Application of Pearson type III distribution to prediction of Port's volume of freight

Based on the observed data, which are the historical throughputs of Shantou Port of China, this paper attains the required curve for prediction using the calculation process of Pearson type III distribution. According to the estimated economic conditions of the year for which the throughput will be predicted, the predicted throughput of that year can be determined on the curve. Also, the results from this method are compared with those from the simple moving average method and the single exponential smoothing method in order to prove that the Pearson type III distribution is a valuable alternative method for the prediction of volume of freight, having the features of high accuracy, wider applicability and one-type data requirements.