Following is a question by the Hon Lothair Lam and a written reply by the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Ms Mable Chan, in the Legislative Council today (November 4):

Question:

     According to figures from the Census and Statistics Department, the laden container movement between Hong Kong and the Mainland accounts for more than 40 per cent of the annual laden container throughput of Hong Kong ports. As international terminals in Guangzhou and Shenzhen continue to develop, the Mainland is providing many incentives to encourage river trade vessels (RTVs) carrying goods to the terminals, including financial subsidies and exemption from compulsory pilotage requirements for RTVs of Chinese nationality carrying general cargoes. In Hong Kong, it is learnt that the only incentive currently provided to alleviate the operating burden of vessels frequently plying between Guangdong and Hong Kong is the buy-five-get-five-free discount on the Multiple Entry Permit. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) of the number of RTVs that have transported containers to Hong Kong container terminals in the past three years up to September this year, their tonnage and the number of containers carried, as well as the respective year-on-year changes in these figures;

(2) of the specific facilitation measures currently provided by Hong Kong for RTVs, and whether the Government has planned or studied the introduction of additional support measures to boost the motivation and carrying capacity of RTVs for cargo transport; as the Government has clearly set out in the Action Plan on Maritime and Port Development Strategy that it will review port dues or permit fees imposed on ocean going vessels and inland river vessels, of the findings and details of the review;

(3) given that in general, except for exempted ships, Hong Kong imposes compulsory pilotage requirements on all types of ships of 3 000 tonnage or over, and on ships of 1 000 tonnage or over carrying certain dangerous goods entering Hong Kong waters, of the number, tonnage and type of ships subject to compulsory pilotage in the past three years;

(4) as there are views that the promotion of green shipping in Hong Kong needs to cover vessels entering local waters, and that RTVs, which have to berth at ports in the Pearl River Delta, are all registered in the Mainland, whether the Government will discuss with the relevant Mainland authorities how to promote the green transformation of RTVs, and whether it will explore co-operation with the Mainland to accelerate the pace of RTVs' green transformation; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and

(5) of the utilisation rate of the Tuen Mun River Trade Terminal (TMRTT), which is facing a change of use due to low utilisation and has been incorporated into the Government's Smart and Green Industrial Port (SGIP), in the past three years, apart from berthing services, whether any other value-added processes such as vessel assembly have been carried out within TMRTT, and whether a portion of SGIP will be retained for continued use by RTVs or for conducting value-added processes, and so on?

Reply:

President,

     Hong Kong is a world‑leading international shipping centre, home to one of the most efficient and busiest ports globally. In the 2026 Xinhua-Baltic: International Shipping Centre Development Index Report, Hong Kong ranks fourth worldwide, standing at the forefront in overall strength across port conditions, professional shipping services, and the overall business environment.

     To further consolidate and enhance Hong Kong's status as an international shipping centre, following the promulgation of the Action Plan on Maritime and Port Development Strategy in December 2023, the Transport and Logistics Bureau is fully advancing the measures announced in the First Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (2026–2030) (Hong Kong's Five-Year Plan) and the 2026 Policy Address. These include promoting the development of a green and smart port; collaborating with port operators to formulate a clear roadmap for the smart and green transformation of Kwai Tsing Container Terminals (KTCT); deepening participation in the establishment of the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) port cluster; and fostering efficient collaboration among ports in the region. We will actively implement these measures following three directions - smart transition, green transformation, and digitalisation to consolidate the leading position of the Hong Kong port.

     In consultation with the Environment and Ecology Bureau and the Development Bureau (DEVB), the reply to the question raised by the Member is as follows:

(1) Statistics on river cargo vessels visiting Hong Kong (whose main berthing location is KTCT) and their container throughput are listed as follows: 
     

Year	Vessel Arrivals	Changes compared with the same period last year (%)	Net tonnage (in thousand tonnes)	Changes compared with the same period last year (%)
2023	4 344	-35.5%	7 521	-32.0%
2024	3 644	-16.1%	7 289	-3.1%
2025	3 519	-3.4%	8 360	14.7%
2026 (January to July)	2 101	-0.1%	5 599	12.0%

   

Year	Container throughput (in thousand TEU)	Changes compared with the same period last year (%)
2023	1 627	-17.1
2024	1 651	1.4
2025	1 517	-8.1
2026 (January to July)#	878	-0.7

Note: # The numbers for July are provisional.
Source: Census and Statistics Department.

(2) To encourage more river trade vessels (RTVs) to use Hong Kong ports and promote inland river transshipment operations, the Marine Department (MD) introduced the multiple entry permit (MEP) incentive in 2007. This allows users to pay a fee equivalent to five single entry permits and make up to ten port entries within a month, effectively halving the cost. 

     In the past three years, the average monthly port entries by river cargo vessels and the annual usage of the MEP were as follows:   
     

Year	Average monthly number of river cargo vessel arrivals	Number of river cargo vessel MEPs issued throughout the year
2023	3 622 times	743 pieces*
2024	3 668 times	5 650 pieces
2025	3 521 times	5 865 pieces

*Note: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government waived the Permit to Remain (PTR) fee for RTVs. The exemption period was from November 1, 2019, to October 31, 2023. As RTVs did not have to pay the PTR fee during the exemption period, there was no need for them to apply for MEPs as well.

     The Action Plan on Maritime and Port Development Strategy proposes various measures to strengthen Hong Kong's position as a regional transshipment hub and an international shipping centre, including reviewing the permit fees charged to RTVs in order to maintain the competitiveness and attractiveness of the port to the industry. We have completed a preliminary review and are now discussing the matter with relevant departments, with the details to be released in due course.

(3) Under the Pilotage Ordinance (Cap. 84) and its subsidiary legislation, except for locally licensed vessels, all visiting vessels with a gross tonnage of 3 000 tonnes or above, vessels carrying dangerous goods with a gross tonnage of 1 000 tonnes or above, and gas carriers of any tonnage are required to be under the pilotage of licensed pilots within the waters of Hong Kong, to ensure marine safety. The related pilotage arrangements are similar to those at other ports worldwide.

     According to the records from the MD, a total of 130,404 visiting vessels required pilotage services in the past three years (2023–2025), the majority of which were ocean-going vessels (OGVs) with a gross tonnage of 10 000 to 50 000 tonnes. Among these, over 110 000 visits were made by container ships.

(4) We notice that the industry is actively promoting the green transformation of RTVs, and the first zero‑carbon river trade route in the GBA was put into operation in mid-October, using the largest river trade container smart electric vessel in South China. In response to the latest development trends in river trade industry, the Government has also proposed participating in the national scenario incubation project for the development of a smart and green logistics model using "water-to-water transshipment" in Hong Kong's Five-Year Plan, and creating a favourable operating environment for autonomous vessels in Hong Kong and throughout the GBA, thereby promoting smart transition of shipping in the GBA. The Government is currently working closely with the industry to study how to advance this development, so as to accelerate the smart and green transformation of RTVs, and hence revitalise the RTV network between other ports in the GBA and Hong Kong.

(5) The river trade terminal (RTT) is a privately owned terminal specifically designed for river trade. Its main function is to reorganise and consolidate cargoes from ports in the Pearl River Delta and then transport them by truck or barge to other port facilities (for example, shipping them to KTCT and then onward by OGVs to destinations worldwide); as well as to load cargoes onto ships for transport to other ports within the Pearl River Delta, including Shenzhen and Guangzhou.

     Located at the western end of the New Territories, Lung Kwu Tan/Tuen Mun West (LKT/TMW) has extensive sea frontage and is in proximity to the Northern Metropolis, Hong Kong International Airport and the Pearl River Delta region, with excellent transport connectivity through land transport and marine access. In August 2025, the DEVB launched a public engagement exercise on the preliminary land use proposal of providing about 300 hectares of new developable land in LKT/TMW through near-shore reclamation and modification of existing land, with the positioning of Smart and Green Industrial Port for the proposed development of four core industries, including modern logistics/river trade terminal (RTT).

     Considering the utilisation of the berths in RTT in recent years, the above land use proposal includes retaining about 35 hectares out of the existing 65 hectares of the RTT site for modern logistics/RTT use. This will enable relevant vessels and users to continue using the river trade facilities, and cater for any potential increase in demand in the future. At the same time, planning flexibility will be provided to allow the 35-hectare site for other high value-added modern logistics uses, including logistics operations adopting digital and smart technologies, thereby facilitating the upgrading and transformation of the shipping and logistics industries.

     Taking into account the views received during the public engagement exercise, DEVB is refining the land use proposals for LKT/TMW, and will maintain communication with relevant stakeholders. Upon completion of the detailed engineering design and technical assessments, rezoning and other statutory procedures for the Smart and Green Industrial Port project will be taken forward accordingly.

Ends/Wednesday, November 4, 2026
Issued at HKT 15:05

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