The Port Kembla Port Corporation predicts the previous record from 1993-94 could be blown out of the water - with trade movements in future years set to raise the bar even higher.

Data on ship movements for the next seven weeks shows the 1993-94 financial year record of 26.78 million through tonnes - the accepted industry measure - will be exceeded.

Through tonnes are calculated to take into account weight or bulk so that heavier cargo can be compared fairly with larger, but less dense, cargo. A port corporation spokeswoman said that by June 30, there would have been 757 ship movements over the 12 months - also a record for Port Kembla.

It is a 25 per cent increase on the number of movements last year, 607.

About half of the 150 new ship journeys are a result of the relocation of car imports from Sydney's Glebe Island to Port Kembla.

The others are the result of the global resources boom and coal from new Gujarat NRE mines at Russell Vale and Wongawilli.

Port corporation chief executive Dom Figliomeni said increased demand for coal in China and India helped increase coal exports, which were up 13.5 per cent to almost 12.9 million tonnes in the year to March 31 at Port Kembla.

"We still haven't at this stage broken the all-time (financial year) record from the '90s but there are weeks to go," he said.

"Growth is always an exciting outcome - it really does translate to the regional economy."

The relocation of car imports from Sydney's Glebe Island to Port Kembla is expected to be completed by November, which will further increase trade movements, leading to new records in the future.

NSW Ports and Waterways Minister Joe Tripodi said Port Kembla had increased both imports and exports in the year to March 31, with coal, iron and steel the main commodities.

"Massive demands for exports in the resource sector, rising interest rates and the slowing US economy have pushed the Australian dollar to unprecedented highs to the detriment of other exporting businesses," he said.