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MONDAY, MARCH 12, 1979
MORE PUBLIC CARGO HANDLING AREAS
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MORE AND BETTER CARGO HANDLING FACILITIES WILL SHORTLY BE AVAILABLE WITH THE PARTIAL OPENING OF A NEW PUBLIC CARGO WORKING AREA IN WESTERN DISTRICT IN MAY.
+IN PARTICULAR, THIS WILL BENEFIT THE CARGO OPERATORS DISPLACED BY THE STAGE WESTERN RECLAMATION, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE MARINE DEPARTMENT SAID TODAY (MONDAY).
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THE SITE, WITH A SEAFRONTAGE OF 170 METRES AT SHEK TONG TSU I WILL FORM PART OF A 761-METRE CARGO HANDLING AREA SCHEDULED FOR COMPLETION IN 1982.
THE NEW CARGO HANDLING AREA WILL HAVE 21 UNIT BERTHS FOR LIGHTERS OR MOTOR CARGO BOATS AND PARKING SPACES FOR ABOUT 100 LORRIES. IT WILL BE MANNED DAILY BY MARINE DEPARTMENT STAFF FROM 7 A.M. TO 11 P.M.
MEANWHILE, FOUR OTHER PROJECTS IN CHAI WAN, RAMBLER CHANNEL TYPHOON SHELTERS, TUEN MUN AND CHEUNG SHA WAN RÉCLAMATIONS ARE PROGRESSING ON SCHEDULE.
THE CHAI WAN COMPOUND, WITH AN INITIAL SEAFRONTAGE OF 340 METRES, WILL BECOME OPERATIONAL EARLY NEXT YEAR. THE AREA WILL BE EXTENDED TO 1,122 METRES BY 1985 AND WILL EMBRACE THE ENTIRE PERIPHERY OF THE TYPHOON SHELTER.
COMMENTING ON THE ADVANTAGES OF CONTROLLED PUBLIC CARGO WORKING AREAS, A MARINE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN SAID: +PAST EXPERIENCE SHOWED THAT NOT ONLY WAS A HIGHER THROUGHPUT RATE ACHIEVED BUT THESE FACILITIES ALSO HELPED REDUCE CARGO HANDLING COSTS.+
AN +AMENITY BUILDING+ THE FIRST TO BE BUILT IN A PUBLIC CARGO WORKING AREA COMPLETE WITH CHANGING ROOMS, LOCKERS AND HOT AND COLD SHOWERS, WILL SOON BE OPENED IN THE WAN CHAI PUBLIC CARGO WORKING AREA.
+THE PURPOSE OF GOVERNMENT PROVIDING THIS BUILDING IS TO MAKE THESE FACILITIES AVAILABLE TO WORKERS ENGAGED IN HANDLING DUSTY CARGOES SUCH AS CEMENT, LIME AND AGGREGATES, THE SPOKESMAN EXPLAINED,
HONG KONG, THE SPOKESMAN POINTED OUT, IS RATED AS ONE OF THE BUSIEST PORTS IN THE WORLD. IT HANDLED 23 MILLION TONNES OF CARGO LAST YEAR THROUGH ITS MODERN WHARVES, CONTAINER TERMINALS AND PUBLIC CARGO WORKING AREAS.