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#1 · (Edited)
Hong Kong is the world's largest container port, handling some 20.4 million TEU in 2003. The main facility is located in Kwai Chung along the western edge of Kowloon, handling 59% of all throughput. The Pearl River Delta is a major manufacturing zone, and many goods are shipped abroad via Hong Kong.

























 
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#4 ·
14.5% May growth rate at Kwai Chung terminals



The provisional figures for container throughput at the Kwai Chung terminals have been released by the Port Development Council showing a big increase in the year-on-year growth rate for May 2004 over May 2003 of 14.5%, compared to 1.5% in April and 1.7% in March.

Some 5.1mn TEUs were handled at the Kwai Chug ports from Jan-May this year, with a 4% growth rate. For May alone, 1.2mn TEUs were handled.

The strong export growth figures to Europe and the US for Hong Kong's trade is one of the drivers of the large growth rate for May 04 over May 03. Additionally, intra-Asia trade has been thriving as evidenced by midstream container handling growth rates for January to March of 21%, 72% and 49% respectively.

Meanwhile, at the Hong Kong airport, cargo throughput in May stood at 240,000 tonnes, a 19.6% increase over May last year. Over a rolling 12-month period from June 2003 to May 2004, cargo throughput rose by 10.5% over the same period to 2.82 million tonnes.
 
#5 ·


Hong Kong, known as the fragrant harbour, has been an entrepôt for Southern China for many years. Gifted with a superb deep-water harbour offering a safe haven for ships in close proximity to the Pearl River Delta Region, Hong Kong has gradually developed over the years into a world-class container port.

Hong Kong has been a container port for more than three decades. Out of the past 11 years since 1992, Hong Kong has been the world's busiest container port for 10 years.

The port is the key factor in the prosperity and economic growth of Hong Kong, handling about 80 per cent of Hong Kong's total cargo throughput. The container port is vital, not only for Hong Kong, but also for Southern China - one of the fastest industrialising areas in the world, as some 78 per cent of container traffic handled in Hong Kong is related to Southern China. The port of Hong Kong is also a major hub port in the global supply chain and is served by some 80 international shipping lines with over 400 container liner services per week to over 500 destinations worldwide.

Hong Kong is one of the few major international ports in the world where port facilities are financed, owned and operated by the private sector. The Government's role is to undertake long-term strategic planning for port facilities and to provide the necessary supporting infrastructure.

On average, some 220,000 ships, comprising both ocean vessels and river vessels for cargo and passenger traffic, visit the port of Hong Kong yearly.



Main Container Terminal





Container terminals (CTs) are situated in Kwai Chung basin. There are eight terminals under the operation of four different operators, namely Modern Terminals Ltd (MTL), Hongkong International Terminals Ltd (HIT), COSCO-HIT and CSX. They occupy 217 hectares of land, providing 18 berths and 6,592 metres deep water frontage.

A new container terminal, CT9, situated on the southeast of Tsing Yi Island opposite to the existing terminals is currently under construction. The first two berths have been put into operation in July and October 2003 and the whole terminal will be completed by 2005. When the third berth is completed in early 2004, a new operator Asia Container Terminal Ltd (ACT) will commence its operation, bringing the number of terminal operators to five. The CT9 will take up 68 hectares of land, providing six berths of 1,940 metres of waterfrontage and alongside water depth of 15.5 metres.

Mid-stream Sites
The operation of mid-stream sites in Hong Kong mainly involves the loading and unloading of ocean and river cargoes from barges to trucks/lorries and vice versa. Currently, these sites are situated at 12 different locations occupying a total land area of 30 hectares and waterfrontage of 3,337 metres. They are either under long-term or short-term tenancies.

River Trade Terminals
The operation of the River Trade Terminal in Hong Kong involves the consolidation of containers, break bulk and bulk cargo shipped between the Hong Kong port and ports in the Pearl River Delta. The terminal is located near Pillar Point in Tuen Mun and is being operated by the River Trade Terminal Company Ltd. The terminal was fully completed in November 1999, operating with some 65 hectares of land and 3,000 metres of quay.
 
#7 ·
I will look for more photos. Here are a few small renderings :

The Scott Wilson buildings at the container terminal have been given awards for their environmental qualities.


The buildings were provided with natural ventilation through the high atriums.

THE NEW HONG KONG CONTAINER TERMINAL NO 9

To cope with the expected growth in demand in the coming decade, Hong Kong is now building a new Container Terminal 9 (CT9).

This terminal will add six berths with a total quay length of over 1,900 metres and a terminal area of 68 hectares. The total area of the CT9 project will be 150 hectares, the remainder to be used for port back up, logistics and other adjacent port facilities. It will have its own bridge connection to the north of Tsing Yi and will have a second bridge connection to CT8 in the south. The project also includes dredging of the entire Kwai Chung port to 15.5 metres to accommodate the largest container vessels on the drawing board.

Container terminal No. 9 will be developed and brought on line between 2002 and 2004. It will have a design capacity to handle at least 2.6 million TEUs a year, or almost 2,000 metres of quay length, to the existing 18 berth Kwai Chung port. However, the terminal operators can increase the operating capacity well above 3 million TEUs with productivity improvements. The first berth of CT9 will come onstream in 2001/2002, and the remaining berths will be completed at intervals of 5/6 months. Four of the berths will be allocated to Modern Terminals, and the remaining two will go to HIT.

Investment

The co-developers are to invest over $1.3 billion in the project, including Government works amounting to $390 million which will not be reimbursed. These works include the deepening of the Rambler Channel and developing 70 hectares of land complete with roads and other infrastructure improvements outside the CT9 area. The total CT9 land premium of cash and the cost of Government works to be paid for by the co-developers is 33 per cent higher than that of CT8.

Developers

Three container port operators will be involved in the development of CT9: Modern Terminals Limited, Hong Kong International Terminals Limited (HIT), and Asia Container Terminals Limited (ACT). Modern Terminals will occupy four berths at the south of the new terminal, and HIT will occupy the remaining two berths at the north. ACT is contributing towards the cost of developing CT9 in exchange for Modern Terminals' two berths at Terminal 8 (West). The lead contractors are Hyundai – CCECC Joint Venture formed by Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co. Ltd and China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation.
 
#10 ·
The Pearl River Delta's Port Traffic
Disclaimer : Although the statistics are old, the big picture is that the Pearl River Delta is a significant export region. Port traffic is very strong and continues to grow quickly.



Hong Kong was the leader in tonnage of port throughput in the Greater Pearl River Delta in 2001, with a figure of 178.21 million tonnes in that year. Port throughput in the Pearl River Delta Economic Zone was 258.67 million tons in 2001. Guangzhou had the highest throughput at 128.23 million tonnes, with Shenzhen second (51.16 million tonnes), and Foshan third (23.29 million tonnes). In comparison, Shanghai had a throughput of 220.99 million tonnes and Ningbo had a throughput of 128.58 million tonnes.

Hong Kong was the world's busiest container port in 2001, with a throughput of 17.83 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). Shenzhen was the leader in the Pearl River Delta Economic Zone in container throughput with 4.98 million TEUs. Guangzhou was second with 1.74 million TEUs. Shanghai had a throughput of 6.34 million TEUs. Both the Shenzhen and Guangzhou figures were lower than container throughput in Shanghai and were far from that of Hong Kong. Overall, however, the Greater Pearl River Delta region is far and away the leading area for container traffic in China.

The Future
June 10, 2004 HK Government Press Release

Port facilities in Hong Kong, Shenzhen and the Pearl River Delta will be reviewed to boost co-ordination, Chief Executive Tung Chee Hwa says, adding that a decision on the need to build Container Terminal No. 10 may be made within the year.

Mr Tung said today the focus of railway development in the Pan-Pearl River Delta will be the proposed Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail. Relevant parties will explore the proposal's economic benefit. If implemented, the express rail will shorten travel time between Guangzhou and Hong Kong to an hour.

Mr Tung said the Central Authorities have shown full support for the Pan-Pearl River Delta development, and Hong Kong will play an active role to enhance its status as an international financial and logistics hub. Minister of Communications Zhang Chunxian said at the first Pan-Pearl River Delta Co-operation & Development Forum earlier that further co-ordination of port facilities will bolster the region's advantages and Hong Kong's status as an international logistics centre.

New container terminal under study

Mr Tung said while the Government is looking into the feasibility of building Container Terminal No.10, a decision will be made after taking into account the development of other port facilities in the region.

Mr Tung said in the process of regional economic integration, cities and provinces will co-operate but also compete sometimes, and such competition is unavoidable.

For example, Hong Kong's airport operates many international flights while those on the Mainland operate more domestic ones. In this regard, the Airport Authority is exploring with Mainland airport operators areas for further co-operation.
 
#12 ·
HK ships ride crest with seal of quality
Paris Lord, HK Standard

Captains of Hong Kong- flagged ships may get a little more rest in American ports now that the territory has joined an elite band of shipping states. Known as the "Qualship 21'' initiative and introduced by the United States Coast Guard in January 2001, it means Hong Kong-flagged ships will face fewer inspections at US ports.

Announced on Wednesday by the Marine Department, the SAR now joins 14 other "flag states".

Hong Kong Ship Owners' Association managing director Arthur Bowring said the initiative initially meant that qualified ships faced fewer inspections by US port control officers. "But it's become to mean much more than that,'' Bowring said. "It's become to mean a flag of quality for the register."

"So if you have Qualship 21, you're seen as a superior register and if your ships then get the Qualship 21 award, then they're seen as superior ships.''

There are around 1,000 ships registered in Hong Kong, Bowring said, adding even though a shipowner might not trade regularly with the US, they wanted the "mark of quality'' the certification provided.

Fewer inspections did not necessarily mean a ship could be turned around at a US port faster than before, however. One of the problems ships faced when in port was there were "far too many inspectors'', Bowring said, who were taking the time of a ship's senior officers, the busiest people when arriving and leaving a port.

22 July 2004 / 02:09 AM
 
#13 ·
Thursday July 15, 8:12 PM
HK's Kwai Chung port traffic rises 14 pct in June

HONG KONG, July 15 (Reuters) - Sea container traffic through Hong Kong's main port facilities in Kwai Chung rose 14.1 percent in June from the previous year but lagged that of southern Chinese boom town Shenzhen. It was the third time that monthly traffic at Kwai Chung, which accounts for about 60 percent of Hong Kong's sea port traffic, has fallen behind that of Shenzhen since October.

The Shenzhen Factor

The Kwai Chung terminal handled about 1.1 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of goods in June, the Port Development Council said on its web site on Thursday. The figure compared with 1.14 million TEUs handled through Shenzhen.

Hong Kong is the world's busiest container port overall but Shenzhen is expected to overtake it by volume within the next few years. Traffic through all of Hong Kong's terminals rose 17 percent in the month from a year earlier to 1.94 million TEUs. Cumulatively, the city's sea container traffic grew 11.7 percent in the first six months of the year compared to the year-earlier period, to 10.93 million TEUs.

By comparison, Shenzhen port handled 6.06 million TEUs over the same period, which represents 32 percent growth year on year.

Analysts have said Hong Kong container traffic is growing less quickly than China's exports because of the city's relatively high handling charges.

Singapore, Shanghai and Shenzhen are ranked second, third and fourth, respectively, as the world's busiest ports.

Container traffic in Hong Kong is expected to grow by 10 percent this year from the previous year.
 
#14 ·
Connecting the Container Ports & Beyond - Stonecutters Bridge





At 1600 metres in length, Stonecutters Bridge is part of Hong Kong's ambitious plan to develop its infrastructure for the new millennium. When completed in 2008, the bridge is likely to become the world's longest single span cable-stayed bridge with a main span of 1018m, over 128m longer than the existing record in Japan.

As well as become a fitting landmark in the harbour, the bridge will be a major component of Route 9 (Tsing Yi to Cheung Sha Wan) and, along with Ngong Shuen Chau Viaduct in the east and Nam Wan Tunnel in the west, will form a strategic link, providing a relief route to the existing Route 3 between Tsing Yi and Kwai Chung.

Arup is providing full civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, geotechnical, traffic, wind, marine, and durability detailed engineering designs; and will supervise the construction of the bridge, commencing in 2004 for completion in 2008.

The bridge will span the Rambler Channel from the back-up land of Container Terminal 8 (CT8) at the eastern side on Stonecutters Island to the back-up land being formed for Container Terminal 9 (CT9) on Tsing Yi Island.

 
#15 ·
Fleet may flee Panama flag
Keith Wallis, Hong Kong Standard

The Marine Department may see a surge of shipowners, including those in Hong Kong, registering ships in the SAR rather than continue to patronise the Panama flag.

This follows growing discontent, particularly among Japanese shipowners, over delays by the Panama authorities in issuing international ship security certificates that are now required for all ocean-going ships.

Vessels should have had the certificates on board from July 1 since the introduction of the International Ship and Port Facility (Isps) code, which was launched by the London-based International Maritime Organisation as part of new anti-terror measures.

But the Panama authorities had still to issue certificates to nearly 2,000 Panamanian-registered ships by the July 1 deadline. Sixteen Panamanian-registered ships were detained by the US Coast Guard in the first week following implementation of the Isps code for failing to produce ship security certificates.

Several vessels entering Hong Kong have also been detained by the Marine Department.

Bill McCuskey, who represents the Marshall Islands flag, said owners with Panamanian-registered vessels would consider reflagging their ships in Hong Kong, the Marshall Islands or elsewhere, including Singapore, following the problems with Panama.

"I do think owners are seriously thinking about moving. We've had a few inquiries and owners have specifically mentioned the difficulties in Panama. Owners in Taiwan and Japan are especially unhappy with the situation in Panama,'' he said.

Owners from Japan, Taiwan and South Korea account for 60 per cent of the tonnage registered in Panama.

McCuskey believes the shift in flags will start from September when shipowners traditionally make arrangements to renew or reflag from the following January.

"Panama did a poor job at keeping its best customers happy. Owners realise that there are other flags that do a good a job and will look after them,'' McCuskey said.

Hong Kong Shipowners' Association managing director Arthur Bowring said: "The Japanese are very upset and justifiably so.

"I've had no comment from our members on whether they were unhappy and would reflag. I don't know if they are considering that or not.''

Of the 1,100 ships owned and managed by association members, about 200 are registered in Panama, while more than 500 fly Hong Kong's Bauhinia flag.

Marine Department shipping registry and seafarers' branch general manager So Ping-chi said while Hong Kong wanted to attract more quality shipowners, there were no plans to market the register to foreign owners who might be thinking of leaving the Panama register.

The Hong Kong shipping register has been one of the government's success stories after it reduced the cost of registering a ship in the territory as part of a revamp of the registry in 1999.

There are 961 ships registered in the SAR with a total tonnage of 24.06 million, about four times more than in 1997 when many shipowners pulled out amid concern about the handover of the territory to China.

24 July 2004 / 02:27 AM
 
#17 ·
Thursday July 29, 7:23 PM
HK sea traffic seen up, but operators seek cost cuts
By Alison Leung

HONG KONG, July 29 (Reuters) - Hong Kong, the world's busiest container port, is expected to see a rise in throughput this year, but operators are urging the city to cut red tape to help them compete with cheaper ports in neighbouring Shenzhen.

Container terminals in the Kwai Chung basin, Hong Kong's main facility, will show 5 percent traffic growth in 2004 and total throughput for the city, including mid-stream operations and river trade terminals, should rise 10 percent, said Alan Lee, Chairman of Hong Kong Container Terminal Operators Association Ltd.

That compares with 7 percent growth in total Hong Kong traffic in 2003. At Kwai Chung, traffic rose 1.5 percent.

In the past five years, Hong Kong has been losing market share to the mainland Chinese boomtown Shenzhen, where a 40-foot container is US$300 cheaper to process, a report by consultant McKinsey & Company said.

Hong Kong terminal operators and truckers are urging the Hong Kong and Guangdong province governments to dismantle regulatory barricades that stifle cross-border trade, inflating Hong Kong's costs and eroding its competitiveness.

"Terminal operators are crying for help. The usage of the three newly completed berths in container terminal number 9 (CT9) is only about 25 percent," Lee told reporters.

The six berths in CT9, part of the Kwai Chung basin, will be fully completed by 2005.

The Kwai Chung terminals are operated by Wharf Holdings unit Modern Terminals Ltd; Hongkong International Terminals Ltd (HIT), which is controlled by Hutchison Whampoa Ltd; COSCO-HIT, a joint venture between HIT and COSCO Pacific Ltd.; CSX World Terminals Hong Kong Ltd and Asia Container Terminals Ltd.

Lee said he believed the newly added capacity in CT9 could meet demand growth until 2016.

Hong Kong sea traffic rose 11.7 percent to 10.93 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in the first six months.

Heavy demand pushed total throughput in Shenzhen ports up 32 percent to 6.06 million TEUs in the first half of the year.

The McKinsey report, sponsored by the Better Hong Kong Foundation, a local business group, urged the elimination of the high-cost cross-boundary licensing system, and said Hong Kong drivers should pay the same licensing fee as Guangdong drivers.

It also called for the removal of a rule that requires each truck to have a single designated driver.

The changes the group is requesting could save up to HK$950 per trip.

However, the report also said there was no easy solution for reducing terminal handling fees that shipping firms charge customers using Hong Kong ports, which are US$100 higher per box in Hong Kong than Shenzhen.

Lee said Hong Kong terminal operators have been cutting container handling charges in the past five years, but would not disclose the scale of the cut.
 
#18 ·
Cargo costs must come down, says new study
Mark Lee, HK Standard

A new industry study has urged the government to take urgent steps to reduce the costs of transporting cargoes through Hong Kong.

Cheaper port and logistics facilities in nearby Shenzhen are fast eroding Hong Kong's market share, and the effect could be devastating for the port and logistics industry here, the report says. It costs companies US$300 (HK$2,340) more to ship a cargo via Hong Kong than Shenzhen, said the report by consultants McKinsey & Co.

A significant proportion of the costs are regulatory, in the form of licence fees paid to mainland authorities, and can be reduced if governments in Hong Kong and the mainland can be persuaded to act, said McKinsey managing partner Allen Fung.

"It is very much up to the government to address most of these issues, but the private logistics companies must also respond and improve their operational efficiencies,'' Fung said.

The report outlined four initiatives McKinsey said could reduce trucking costs by HK$950 per cargo. They include the elimination of the cross-boundary licensing system and the removal of the one-truck-one-driver rule that limits a truck to be driven by one designated driver.

It also called for a relaxation in the "four-up-four-down'' rule that requires a truck to carry the same container on both the outward and return legs in each round trip.

"The key to reducing costs is to increase the number of round-trips a driver can do in a day. We must try to increase the number of trips from the current one per day, to two per day,'' said McKinsey manager Joseph Ngai.

30 July 2004 / 02:56 AM
 
#19 ·
South Korean shipping company relocates headquarters to Hong Kong

South Korean shipping company Cido Shipping announced the relocation of its headquarters to Hong Kong today (16 August).

The President of Cido Shipping (H.K.) Co. Ltd., Mr Hyuk Kwon, said the company was very excited about this strategic move.

According to Mr Kwon, the decision was made to enable the company to benefit from Hong Kong's leading position as an international shipping hub. He said that the company would have easier access to a variety of professional shipping related services, including ship finance and ship management.

The Head of Transportation at Invest Hong Kong, Mr Benjamin Wong, attended the opening ceremony and welcomed Cido Shipping's headquarters to Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong headquarters will also be responsible for co-ordinating businesses with the company's other operations in the region, including its ship management companies in Tokyo and Seoul.

Ends/Monday, 16 August 2004
 
#20 ·
Tuesday September 7, 10:42 AM
MTL, Hutchison, PSA in bids for CSX terminals

HONG KONG, Sept 7 (Reuters) - Hong Kong-based Hutchison Whampoa Ltd and Modern Terminals Ltd. (MTL) and Singapore's PSA International Pte Ltd. are on the short list to bid for CSX Corp.'s global container terminal network.

MTL Managing Director Erik Christensen told Reuters that his company had expressed interest and has been shortlisted by CSX and its advisers, Citibank.

MTL, Hong Kong's second-largest container port operator, is controlled by blue chip conglomerate Wharf (Holdings) . It did not say which of CSX's container port assets it covets.

CSX Corp., which is the third-largest U.S. railroad operator, invests in container ports and logistics through its unit CSX World Terminals. Its adviser Citibank had asked for indications of interest for all or part of the company's terminal assets.

Would-be bidders had until late August to express their interest.

"We have told CSX and Citibank what we are interested in," Christensen said.

A PSA spokesperson also confirmed that the Singapore government-owned port operator PSA had been shortlisted, but would not give further information.

Im Hong Kong, CSX World Terminals operates Container Terminal No.3 (CT3) at the city's main Kwai Chung Container Port, and has also invested in two berths in Container Terminal No. 8.

It also has holdings in container terminals around the world including in Tianjin, China; Pusan, South Korea; Adelaide, Australia; and Venezuela and the Dominican Republic.

The company is exiting the ports business to focus on upgrading its U.S. rail network, according to the South China Morning Post newspaper.

The world's largest container port operator, Hutchison's Hongkong International Terminals Ltd., is also on the shortlist, a source told Reuters.

A spokesman for HIT declined to comment.

In January, South Korean carrier Hanjin Shipping switched to a rival Hutchison facility in Hong Kong, taking almost half of CSX's business, the South China Morning Post said. CSX is also due to lose the other half of its Hong Kong business at the end of the year when Maersk Sealand switches MTL after the carrier's five-year contract expires, the paper said.

Bidders are waiting for Citibank to provide more information on the assets.

"This is very complicated ... some of the terminals are international," Christensen said.

"Probably there are many people showing interest in various pieces," he added.

He said he expects the bidding processes to last for the rest of the year.
 
#21 ·
Statistics on Vessels, Port Cargo and Containers for the Second Quarter
of 2004


The Census and Statistics Department today (September 10) released
statistics on vessels, port cargo and containers for the second quarter of
2004.

In the second quarter of 2004, total port cargo throughput increased by
8% over a year earlier to 55.3 million tonnes. Within this total, inward port
cargo increased by 10% to 34.6 million tonnes, while outward port cargo
rose by 6% to 20.7 million tonnes.

For the first half of 2004, total port cargo throughput increased by 10% to
110.8 million tonnes. Within this total, inward and outward port cargo
were up by 9% and 12% to 68.6 million tonnes and 42.2 million tonnes
respectively.

On a seasonally adjusted quarter-to-quarter comparison, total port cargo
throughput decreased by 8% in the second quarter of 2004. Within this
total, inward port cargo decreased by 6%, while outward port cargo
decreased by 10%. The seasonally adjusted series enables more
meaningful shorter-term comparison to be made for discerning possible
variations in trends.

Port cargo

Within port cargo, seaborne and river cargo went up by 10% and 4% over
a year earlier to 40.3 million tonnes and 15.0 million tonnes respectively in
the second quarter of 2004.

Within inward port cargo, imports increased by 3% over a year earlier to
21.2 million tonnes in the second quarter of 2004, while inward
transhipment surged by 21% to 13.4 million tonnes. For outward port
cargo, exports (including domestic exports and re-exports) and outward
transhipment rose by 8% and 4% to 8.6 million tonnes and 12.1 million
tonnes respectively.

Within port cargo, seaborne cargo went up by 10% in the first half of 2004
over a year earlier to 79.7 million tonnes, while river cargo also increased
by 10% to 31.1 million tonnes.

Within inward port cargo, imports rose by 4% in the first half of 2004 over
a year earlier to 42.8 million tonnes, while inward transhipment surged by
20% to 25.9 million tonnes. For outward port cargo, exports rose by 15%
to 17.5 million tonnes, while outward transhipment increased by 10% to
24.7 million tonnes.

Comparing the second quarter of 2004 with the second quarter of 2003,
double-digit increases were recorded in the tonnage of inward port cargo
loaded in Australia (+92%), Singapore (+39%), Malaysia (+37%), the
Republic of Korea (+20%) and the United States (+10%). Over the same
period, substantial increases were registered in the tonnage of outward
port cargo for discharge in Australia (+63%), the United States (+12%)
and Vietnam (+12%). On the other hand, a double-digit decrease was
recorded in the tonnage of outward port cargo discharged in Japan
(-17%).

Comparing the first half of 2004 with the same period in 2003,
double-digit increases were recorded in the tonnage of inward port cargo
loaded in Australia (+68%), Singapore (+34%), Malaysia (+28%), the
Republic of Korea (+24%) and the United States (+16%). Over the same
period, double-digit increases were registered in the tonnage of outward
port cargo for discharge in Australia (+52%), Vietnam (+51%), Taiwan
(+14%), Italy (+12%), the mainland of China (+11%) and Thailand
(+10%).

Containers

In the second quarter of 2004, the port of Hong Kong handled 5.4 million
TEUs of containers, representing an increase of 6% over a year earlier.
Within this total, laden containers and empty containers both rose by 6%
to 4.4 million TEUs and 1.0 million TEUs respectively. Among laden
containers, inward and outward containers were up by 11% and 2% in the
second quarter of 2004 over a year earlier to 2.1 million TEUs and 2.2
million TEUs respectively.

In the first half of 2004, the port of Hong Kong handled 10.6 million TEUs
of containers, representing an increase of 8% over the same period in
2003. Within this total, laden containers rose by 11% to 8.7 million TEUs,
while empty containers decreased by 1% to 1.9 million TEUs. Among
laden containers, inward and outward containers were up by 14% and 8%
over a year earlier to 4.2 million TEUs and 4.5 million TEUs respectively in
the first half of 2004.

On a seasonally adjusted quarter-to-quarter comparison, laden container
throughput decreased by 9% in the second quarter of 2004, comprising
decreases of 5% and 12% respectively for inward and outward laden
containers.

Seaborne laden containers went up by 7% in the second quarter of 2004
over a year earlier to 3.3 million TEUs, while river laden containers
increased by 5% to 1.0 million TEUs.

Within inward laden containers, imports increased by 8% to 1.0 million
TEUs, while inward transhipment surged by 15% to 1.2 million TEUs in
the second quarter of 2004 over the same period in 2003. For outward
laden containers, exports rose by 6% to 1.1 million TEUs, while outward
transhipment fell by 2% to 1.1 million TEUs.

Seaborne laden containers went up by 10% to 6.6 million TEUs in the first
half of 2004 over the same period in 2003, while river laden containers
increased by 14% to 2.1 million TEUs.

Within inward laden containers, imports and inward transhipment
amounted to 1.9 million TEUs and 2.3 million TEUs respectively in the first
half of 2004, representing increases of 10% and 18% over the same
period in 2003. For outward laden containers, exports amounted to 2.2
million TEUs in the first half of 2004, representing an increase of 10% over
the same period in 2003, while outward transhipment rose by 6% to 2.3
million TEUs.

The detailed container statistics are summarised in Table 6(text version) .

Port cargo and laden container statistics are compiled from a sample of
consignments listed in the cargo manifests supplied by shipping companies
or agents to the Census and Statistics Department.

Vessel arrivals

In the second quarter of 2004, the number of ocean vessel arrivals was up
by 1% over a year earlier to 8 810, with the total capacity increasing by
5% to 76.9 million net registered tons. Over the same period, the number
of river vessel arrivals was up by 9% to 47 590, with an increase of 11%
in capacity to 23.1 million net registered tons.

In the first half of 2004, the number of ocean vessel arrivals was up by 1%
over a year earlier to 17 650, with the total capacity increasing by 6% to
154.1 million net registered tons. Over the same period, the number of
river vessel arrivals was up by 5% to 93 250, with an increase of 7% in
capacity to 44.6 million net registered tons.

The statistics on vessel arrivals in Hong Kong are given in Table 7(text
version) .

Vessel statistics are compiled by the Marine Department primarily from
general declarations submitted by ship masters or authorised shipping
agents. Pleasure vessels and fishing vessels plying exclusively within the
river trade limits are excluded.

Ends/Friday, September 10, 2004
 
#22 ·
SAR pushing ahead with new cargo terminal plan

Danny Chung
590 words
17 September 2004
The Standard
English
Copyright 2004 Sing Tao Group.


The government will probably go ahead with plans to build a new container terminal despite opposition from current port operators, who say existing capacity is enough to handle growth for at least a decade.

Yik Wai-king, senior information officer for ports and maritime logistics, said the Hong Kong Port Master Plan 2020 initial draft report was discussed by the Port Development Council early this week and that Secretary for Economic Development and Labour Stephen Ip wants the terminal to be built. ``It's just the question of timing,'' she said.

Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa, in his policy address early this year, pushed for a terminal on Lantau Island. Preliminary estimates put the cost at more than HK$8 billion.

The news comes as mainland ports rapidly erode Hong Kong's lead in container handling. Last year, Shenzhen handled 50 per cent of Hong Kong's volume, at a little over 10 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs).

Cheaper mainland port charges are also luring international shippers, such as Japan's MOL, which said recently that it will seriously consider shifting business to Shenzhen.

The port master plan is a wide-ranging study on the competitiveness and future development of the port made in order to preserve Hong Kong's lead. The need for new terminals is part of the study, Yik said.

Yik said the council will consult industry groups like the Logistics Development Council before going before various Legco committees for more consultations.

The views collected would then go back to the Port Development Council before a final report is compiled and a decision made. There is no firm timetable for a final report.

Asked about the proposed capacity of the terminal, Lik said this would depend on the volume forecasts.

One of the sites targeted for the four-berth terminal is on the north coast of Lantau Island to the west of Hong Kong airport.

The most recent addition to Hong Kong's port is Container Terminal Nine which has a total of six berths. Two berths came on stream last year and another became operational last month.

The plan comes as debate rages on whether Hong Kong really needs to build another terminal.

Hopewell Holdings' chairman Gordon Wu, Li & Fung group managing director William Fung and Chinese Minister of Communications Zhang Chunxian have gone on record as supporting the project.

However, existing operators like Hutchison Port Holdings and the business think-tank the Better Hong Kong Foundation say there is no need.

Observers say that Hutchison's opposition may be more about self-interest, because a new terminal could draw shippers away from its terminals at Kwai Chung and Tsing Yi. ``We don't have a clear need for expanding the container port today because we have a lot of spare capacity sitting at Kwai Chung as we speak,'' an industry insider said.

Hutchison has said existing terminals could handle cargo growth until 2016. A report commissioned last year by the Better Hong Kong Foundation concluded there was enough handling capacity for the next 10 years.

Michael Chalmers, director at consultants Scott Wilson, in a seminar paper last April warned that ``there is a risk of oversupply in the short-term''.

However, it appears Container Terminal 10 will not be the last subject in the port debates. Outline zoning plans for northeastern Lantau Island show 233 hectares of future reclaimed land has been zoned for an unspecified container terminal near Disneyland.

Source: The Standard.
 
#23 ·
Hong Kong Shipping Register's future bright

The Marine Department is optimistic about the Hong Kong Shipping Register's future with about 40 vessels with one million gross tonnage (GT) already in the pipeline seeking registration in the next couple of months.

According to Director of Marine Tsui Shung-yiu the shipping register had about 740 ocean-going vessels of 24.07m GT on its book in July and hoped to cross the 25m GT mark this year.

"We are seeing more Chinese-owned ships and foreign shipowners coming to Hong Kong recently to enquire how to place their ships on the Hong Kong Shipping Register," he said today (September 21).

Due to the implementation of the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code on July 1 this year, many shipowners who had placed their vessels with "FOCs" (flag of convenience) were now looking at alternate registers, including the Hong Kong register because of its quality services, he said.

Mr Tsui said that having qualified for the tough US QUALSHIP 21 scheme - introduced to eliminate substandard shipping and to provide owners who maintain quality operations with incentives - in March this year, the Marine Department was taking pro-active action to maintain that position.

He said the department was conducting seminars for shipowners and operators on the importance of signing up with seamen's union before employing qualified seafarers for work on board their ships to avoid spats with unions involving compliance with the International Labour Organisation 98 Convention.

At the seminars, the department will also share both its experience and those of its counterparts overseas with shipowners and operators to enable them to avoid the pitfalls that led to ship detentions under the ISPS Code and also how to face the challenge of maintaining Hong Kong's QUALSHIP 21 status.

Mr Tsui said ISPS was generally working fine in Hong Kong and the security message had been spread out to the maritime industry.

"But the greatest challenge is for the port facilities and shipowners to follow closely to the provisions of their security plans on board their ships and at their port facilities."

An article about the Shipping Register and other local maritime stories are available in the 18th issue of Hong Kong Maritime News to be published later this week. The publication will be accessible through the Marine Department's website at http://www.mardep.gov.hk.

Ends/Tuesday, September 21, 2004
 
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