Cargo shipments between Hono­­lulu and six neighbor island ports started 2013 on a down note, falling 3.9 percent in the first quarter of this year compared with the same period a year earlier, according to a report Thursday by Young Bros. Ltd., the main interisland shipping company in the state.

The report illustrated the continuing volatility in intrastate commerce that has persisted since the 2008-2009 recession.

The biggest declines occurred at the neighbor island ports that handle the greatest volumes of cargo, according to the Young Brothers Quarterly Shipping Report. Shipments fell 12.3 percent at Kawaihae, 6 percent at Hilo and 5.8 percent at Kahu­lui. Shipments rose 3.1 percent at Nawiliwili, Kauai; 2.2 percent at Kaunakakai; and 28.5 percent at Kaumalapau, Lanai.

The report tracks cargo volumes using a standard unit of measurement called "container/platform equivalents," or CPEs. Young Bros. uses the CPE measurement so it can compare cargo volumes across different sizes of containers.

For the January-through-March period, the volume of cargo from Hono­­lulu to six neighbor island ports totaled 31,144 CPEs, down 3.9 percent from 32,416 CPEs in the first quarter of 2012.

"It’s disappointing to start the year with a decline," said Glenn Hong, Young Bros. president. "Nevertheless, it’s a continuation of the volatility we’ve experienced in quarterly comparisons of intrastate cargo volumes over the last few years."

"The trend has been sideways — a slight up quarter followed by a dip. We believe that some local businesses, particularly those on the neighbor islands, are still being very cautious," he said.

The first-quarter figures followed an up-and-down year in 2012 that ended with shipping volumes little changed from 2011.

By industry, there were gains in first-quarter shipments of construction equipment and produce, Hong said. Produce shipments rose 1.2 percent, led by gains at Kahu­lui, Kaunakakai, Hilo and Hono­lulu. Young Bros. provides discounted shipping rates of 30 percent to 35 percent for agriculture products.

However, there were declines in shipments by local recycling companies and the federal government, which includes the U.S. Postal Service.

The report for the first time provided a breakout of inbound and outbound shipments from each neighbor island port.

The decline in outbound shipments was more than double the decline in inbound shipments at all ports that recorded an overall drop in shipping traffic.