TRANSPORT
In 1990, some 120 000 ocean-going vessels and river-trade vessels called at Hong Kong and loaded and discharged more than 89 million tonnes of cargo. This included 56 million tonnes of general goods from ocean-going vessels, of which 50 per cent was containerised cargo.
The port of Hong Kong handled 5.04 million TEUS (20-foot equivalent units) of containerised cargo in 1990. Expansion at the Kwai Chung container port continued apace with construction of Terminal 7 being completed by the end of the year. Container Terminals 8 and 9, each with a capacity of 1.5 million TEUs, are now under planning, with the first berth scheduled to come into operation in 1993.
The present port has served Hong Kong's needs well. But it will not be able to cope, in its present form, if the growth in traffic volume experienced over the past decade continues as anticipated. In view of this, plans are being drawn up to develop five container terminals and four multi-purpose berths on the Tsing Chau Tsai peninsula on Lantau over the next decade.
Consultation to reach consensus with the users and operators of port facilities has always been an important factor in Hong Kong's economic success. The private sector is fully represented on important committees which advise the government on port policy, port operations and land-related issues relevant to container terminals. The massive and diverse development of the port over the next decade will require a great deal of detailed consultation on all aspects of port planning and development, including land, marine and transport aspects. A Port Development Board was established in April 1990 for this purpose. Membership of the board is drawn from a cross-section of shipping, government, commercial and port user interests.
Shipping Services
Use of the passenger ferry terminals managed by the Marine Department is also on the increase. In 1990, the China Ferry Terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui and the Macau Ferry Terminal in Central handled a total of 16.7 million passengers on routes to China and Macau of which 13.1 million used the Macau service and 3.6 million the China services. This throughput represented an increase of 8.7 per cent over 1989.
The implementation of the computer/radar Vessel Traffic System has been completed. This now plays a vital role in monitoring the movement of shipping in the waters of Hong Kong with the aim of enhancing safety and expediting navigation. Participation in the system is voluntary at this early stage of implementation but new legislation being prepared will make participation mandatory through the introduction of specific requirements for reporting vessel movements.
The Marine Department's launches patrol the main harbour area and its approaches. They are in continuous radio contact with the Vessel Traffic Centre, thereby enabling them to respond to any emergency and fulfil the executive functions of the duty officer in the Centre. Well-equipped fleets of fire boats, tugs, oil-pollution control vessels and marine police launches are also readily available to respond to emergencies in the harbour.
The full fleet of about 300 powered vessels managed by the department's Government Fleet Division is a highly visible part of the port. In addition to harbour patrol launches, fire boats and police vessels, the government has launches used for immigration, port health and customs clearance of international shipping and for the survey of international
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