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Hong Kong regains its title as the world's busiest container port in 1999 with the total throughput reaching more than 16.2 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units), the Chairman of the Hong Kong Port and Maritime Board (PMB), Mr Peter Thompson, said today (May 4).

Speaking at the annual briefing on the work of PMB, Mr Thompson said the port of Hong Kong recorded a 11.2 per cent increase in container throughput last year, bringing Hong Kong back to the number one position as the world's busiest container port.

"The first quarter of this year has registered continued growth in the container throughput in Kwai Chung of 16.2 per cent compared with the same period of last year," Mr Thompson said.

"The growth of the container throughput of the port of Hong Kong is partly attributable to the acceleration of the Asian recovery and an upturn in transpacific shipments in the second half of 1999.

"In addition, the Government and the private sector, working together through PMB, have taken measures to enhance the competitiveness of Hong Kong's container port," he said.

One of these measures was to improve the border traffic so as to facilitate the trucking of containers.

"To increase the efficiency of trucking containers between Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta, steps have been taken to streamline the flow of vehicles across the land boundary, to expand the control point handling capacity at Lok Ma Chau by 40 per cent, and to establish empty container truck lanes with streamlined customs procedure," Mr Thompson said.

"On the development of port facilities, the first-purpose built River Trade Terminal (RTT) in Tuen Mun was completed at the end of 1999. Designed as a consolidation point for containers and bulk cargoes shipped between Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta ports, it provides a cheaper and environmentally friendly alternative to road transport.

"Our next major development is the construction of Container Terminal 9 (CT9) which is expected to be completed by 2004. Occupying an area of 70 hectares, it has six berths with a design capacity to handle at least 2.6 million TEUs a year."

Mr Thompson noted in the years ahead, the PMB will continue to take effective measures to enhance the attractiveness of Hong Kong as a leading port in Asia and an international maritime centre in the world.

The Board will study how Hong Kong could better function as a replenishment port and logistics centre. The Sub-committee on Container Port Competitiveness formed under the Port Development Committee has set up a task group to examine the strengths and weaknesses of Hong Kong as a replenishment port.

The task group will draw up recommendations to promote Hong Kong as a replenishment port for ships to change crew, reprovision, repair, docking and bunkers.

On strengthening Hong Kong's competitiveness as a logistics centre, Mr Thompson added that the PMB was committed to providing a conducive environment and the necessary infrastructure for the development of logistics business and supply chain management. A Committee on Logistics Service Development has been set up to look into this issue.

He noted that Hong Kong was awarded the Best Seaport in Asia in 1999 at the 13th Asian Freight Industry Awards organised by the freight industry publication, Cargonews Asia.

The Chairman of PMB's Shipping Committee, Mr Frank Tsao, who was also present at the briefing, said the package of measures introduced in April 1999 to make the Hong Kong Shipping Register more competitive and user-friendly had borne impressive results.

"These measures included reduced registration fees, simplified registration procedures and streamlined ship survey requirements. As a result, the registered tonnage at the end of 1999 was 8.34 million, an increase of about 30 per cent," Mr Tsao said.

On the work of tax exemption, Mr Tsao revealed that Hong Kong had agreed double taxation relief arrangements with many countries. The agreements recently initialled were with the Netherlands, Singapore and the United Kingdom.

To promote Hong Kong as an international maritime centre, the PMB will take measures to make the Hong Kong Shipping Register more competitive and to attract more shipping companies to set up regional headquarters in Hong Kong.

"We will also explore with marine insurance bodies and the Commissioner for Insurance the expansion of services to shipowners and look at the provision of brokerage, ship finance, arbitration and ship management services," Mr Tsao added.

End/Thursday, May 4, 2000

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