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Following is the speech by Acting Chief Executive, Mr Henry Tang, at the Opening Ceremony-cum-Reception of Maritime Awareness Week 2010 in the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre tonight (October 25):
Kenneth (Koo, Chairman of the Hong Kong Shipowners Association), Miriam (Lau), Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good evening.
I am delighted to join you at this reception to kick off the week-long activities under the Maritime Awareness Week 2010.
2010 is a special year for the international maritime industry and for Hong Kong.
It is the "Year of the Seafarer" as designated by the International Maritime Organisation.
It also marks the 20th anniversary of the Hong Kong Shipping Register, which now ranks fifth globally in terms of gross tonnage. We have just passed the 50-million mark earlier in the year.
As at end-September, our shipping register stood at about 54 million gross tonnage with over 1 600 ships. Vessels flying the Hong Kong flag are among the most reputable worldwide in terms of maritime safety and compliance record.
Blessed with a strategically located natural deep-water port, Hong Kong has grown exponentially from a small fishing village into the world's premier maritime services and transportation hub.
This impressive development and evolution would not have been possible without the dedication and hard work of Hong Kong shipowners and our first-rate maritime professionals whose efforts have kept us firmly on the world's nautical chart.
Hong Kong's maritime industry comprises a myriad of core shipping and other essential support services. The Hong Kong Port is one of the world's busiest and most efficient. Despite the global financial crisis, we received about 200,000 vessels and handled 21 million TEUs [Twenty-foot Equivalent Units] of containers last year.
With about 80 international shipping lines operating in Hong Kong, there are some 400 container line services every week to about 500 destinations worldwide. Hong Kong shipowners own, manage and operate about eight per cent of the world's merchant fleet, making Hong Kong one of the largest maritime centres globally.
We also have a sizable cluster of maritime service providers which offer comprehensive and high quality services including ship broking, ship management, marine insurance, ship finance and maritime arbitration.
Shipping is a truly global industry. We face competition from port cities near and far. But with trading and shipping activities becoming more vibrant in Asia, and with Asian countries, particularly the Mainland of China, set to become a major global economic powerhouse, there are ample opportunities for our maritime industry.
To stay ahead in the competition, we must look beyond the handling of containers and move up the value chain. We should capitalise on our unique institutional strengths including the rule of law, status as a free port, low and simple tax regime, free flow of information and capital, and, more importantly, our world-class and truly integrated maritime-related services.
We shall also nurture a pool of local maritime professionals. We will continue with our training incentive schemes for deck and engineering cadets as well as ship repairers. We will also offer scholarships for graduate and post-graduate training for maritime and related professions.
The Maritime Awareness Week is designed to celebrate the achievements of the local maritime industry and seafarers in general. It is also a collective attempt to illustrate to the younger generation the diversified and prospective maritime career opportunities available at sea and ashore.
After all, the sustainable development of the maritime industry hinges on its ability to attract new talent capable of eventually taking over the helm.
On this note, I wish you smooth sailing and a very successful Maritime Awareness Week.
Thank you.
Ends/Monday, October 25, 2010
Issued at HKT 19:15
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