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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1974
MORE DEEP-DRAFTED SHIPS VISITING HONG KONG
METHODS OF IMPROVING MARINE TRAFFIC UNDER STUDY
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THE MARINE DEPARTMENT AND THE PORT ADVISORY COMMITTEES ARE STUDYING METHODS OF IMPROVING THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC IN HONG KONG WATERS AND THE POSSIBLE PROVISION OF RADAR AND TELEVISION SURVEILLANCE.
DISCLOSING THIS TODAY, THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF MARINE, MR. MALCOLM ALEXANDER, SAID: +THIS HAS NOU BECOME NECESSARY BECAUSE OF THE INCREASING NUMBER OF DEEP-DRAFTED AND SPECIALISED SHIPS CALLING AT THE PORT.+
MR. ALEXANDER WAS SPEAKING AT A LUNCHEON MEETING OF THE INSTITUTE OF CHARTERED SHIPBROKERS.
REFERRING TO THE PORT OF VICTORIA, HE SAID IT WAS ONE OF THE BUSIEST MAJOR PORTS IN THE WORLD.
IN TERMS OF LOCAL MARINE TRAFFIC DENSITY, HE ADDED, IT WOULD UNDOUBTEDLY WIN THE CUP. +THIS IS DEMONSTRATED BY THE FACT THAT DURING 1973 NO LESS THAN 216 MILLION PEOPLE WERE TRANSPORTED BY LOCAL FERRIES IN HONG KONG WATERS AND AT ANY ONE TIME THERE WERE A HUNDRED OCEAN-GOING SHIPS AND ABOUT FIVE THOUSAND LOCAL CRAFT UNDERWAY OR WORKING WITHIN HARBOUR LIMITS.+
IN TERMS OF TONNAGE OF SHIPPING HANDLED, CARGO THROUGHPUT AND PASSENGERS TRANSPORTED, MR. ALEXANDER SAID, IT WAS PROBABLY THE EIGHTH LARGEST PORT IN THE WORLD.
APART FROM THESE, IT HAS THE ENVIABLE REPUTATION OF HAVING THE FASTEST TURN-ROUND TIME FOR SHIPS IN THE FAR EAST.
ON THE MOVEMENTS OF CONVENTIONAL AND CONTAINERISED CARGO, MR. ALEXANDER SAID A SURVEY CONDUCTED BY THE MARINE DEPARTMENT IN JANUARY THIS YEAR SHOWED THAT DURING 1973 JUST OVER 4-1/4 MILLION LONG TONS OF CARGO WAS MOVED IN NEARLY HALF A MILLION CONTAINERS, REPRESENTING JUST OVER 40 PER CENT OF ALL DRY CARGO MOVEMENTS.
THE SURVEY ALSO REVEALED THAT ALTHOUCH 469 FEWER SHIPS CALLED AT THE PORT DURING THE YEAR, COMPARED WITH 1972, TOTAL CARGO THROUGHPUT INCREASED BY 8.2 PER CENT AND HARBOUR BUOYAGE OCCUPANCY DECREASED BY A MERE 3.6 PER CENT.
THIS INDICATED THAT DURING LAST YEAR FEWER BUT LARGER CONVENTIONAL SHIPS CALLED AT THE PORT AND BUOY BERTHS WERE OCCUPIED FOR LONGER PERIODS THAN PREVIOUSLY.
MR. ALEXANDER SAID THE RESULTS OF THE SURVEY MERELY INDICATED A POSSIBLE TREND AS THE PERIOD OF REVIEW WAS VERY SHORT.
HOWEVER, HE SAID A FURTHER REVIEW AT THE END OF THIS YEAR WOULD PROVIDE A MORE MEANINGFUL INDICATION OF THE FUTURE OF THE PORT OF HONG KONG AS A LIGHTERAGE AND BUOYAGE PORT.
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