286 Transport
The container port is vital, not only for Hong Kong, but also for southern China one of the fastest industrialising areas in the world. Some 76 per cent of container traffic handled by Hong Kong is related to southern China. The port of Hong Kong, therefore, is likely to remain as the hub port in the Asia-Pacific region.
Strategic Planning
To ensure that port facilities in Hong Kong meet demands and that there is timely provision of sufficient facilities to handle the port's cargo growth following China's accession to the World Trade Organisation, the Government completed a` 'Study on Hong Kong Port - Master Plan 2020' at the end of the year. The study formulated a competitive and sustainable strategy and master plan for Hong Kong's port development over a 20-year time frame.
To ensure Hong Kong port's future success, the study recommended a package of immediate and long-term initiatives, including the Super-Connectivity Initiative, the Power Port Initiative and the Port Rationalisation Initiative. The findings and recommendations of the study have been presented to the Legislative Council Panel on Economic Services and the Town Planning Board. A three-month public consultation was launched at the end of the year to collect public views before the Government works out an implementation programme for the initiatives.
Hong Kong Port Development Council
In Hong Kong, all container terminal facilities are financed, developed, owned and operated by the private sector, a practice adopted by few major international ports in the world. The Government's role is to undertake long-term strategic planning for port facilities and to provide the necessary supporting infrastructure, such as by building roads and dredging access channels to the terminals.
The Hong Kong Port Development Council (PDC), chaired by the Secretary for Economic Development and Labour, is a dedicated, high-level advisory body comprising key players from the private sector and the Government to discuss and coordinate matters in developing and promoting the port industry. The PDC advises the Government on the port development strategy and port facility planning to meet future demand. It also assists the Government in promoting Hong Kong as a regional hub port and a leading container port in the world.
A Port Development Advisory Group, formed under PDC, assists the council in examining port cargo forecasts and assessing port development needs in the light of changing demand, port capacity, productivity, performance and competition both locally and regionally.
Hong Kong Maritime Industry Council
Hong Kong has a successful shipping industry with many well-known and experienced shipping-related companies. There are some 900 shipping-related companies operating in Hong Kong, providing a wide range of maritime services from ship owning/management, ship registration, financing, insurance, shipbroking to maritime arbitration, survey, repairs and ship replenishment.