TOBACCO makes up between 20 to 25 per cent of Yangming's overall traffic through the port of Wilmington, according to a company representative. Mr Robert Bassillo, vice-president of Solar International, Yangming's US agent told Cargo magazine, a publication of the North Carolina State Ports Authority: ''We have been calling Wilmington for 15 years and I'm sure tobacco had a lot to do with that decision.'' The seasonal nature of the tobacco industry could cause some problems, but the steamship line was always willing to help. ''For example, Taiwan shipments move in late fall and its gets hectic,'' Mr Bassillo explained. But the tobacco industry carries enough weight that Yangming was willing to accommodate, he said. The line would take space from its New York and Savannah calls to provide Wilmington's needs.