60 conventional cargo buoys,
(13)
760 hectares of sheltered water,
10 kilometres of FCWA waterfrontage,
30 hectares of land for PCWA,
11 new container berths.
These requirements were accepted by the Government for future planning
purposes and will be provided, incrementally, as the port and the land
surrounding port is developed. They have been based on long term trade
forecasts which indicate a growth in cargo tonnage through the port of about
8% per annum.
Current growth
Last year,
Current growth rates are well in excess of this 8% figure.
total tonnage through the port increased by over 16% and this doubling of the
projected growth has again been reflected this year. And as far as containers
are concerned, 1986 saw a growth in throughput of 22% over 1985 : already this
year the growth is over 25% compared with the same period in 1986. So we need to continue carefully to monitor and to check the growth in activity to ensure
that the facilities are provided on time.
Hong Kong's role in the region
Before considering what we are planning to do, let me outline the
close relationship between the port of Hong Kong and the use of that port by
China and, in particular, by Guangdong Province. Some statistics serve well
to illustrate this link