TUESDAY, AUGUST 30, 1983
1983 EXPECTED TO BE RECORD YEAR FOR SHIPPING TRADE
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THE VOLUME OF CARGO HANDLED BY THE PORT OF HONG KONG SOARED IN THE FIRST SEVEN MONTHS OF THIS YEAR, AND 1983 LOOKS SET TO BE A RECORD YEAR FOR HONG KONG'S SHIPPING TRADE, A MARINE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN SAID TODAY (MONDAY).
OUTBOUND CARGO BY OCEAN-GOING SHIPS TOTALLED 5.9 MILLION TONNES, AN INCREASE OF 21.5 PER CENT OVER THE SAME PERIOD OF LAST YEAR, WHILE CARGO DISCHARGED INCREASED BY 7.4 PER CENT TO MORE THAN 14.9 MILLION TONNES.
ALTHOUGH THE NUMBER OF OCEAN-GOING SHIPS ENTERING HONG KONG DURING THE PERIOD INCREASED BY ONLY 2.5 PER CENT, THEIR AVERAGE TONNAGE WAS CONSIDERABLY HIGHER, THE SPOKESMAN POINTED OUT.
JUTGOING CARGO BY RIVER TRADE VESSELS TOPPED 540 000 TONNES UP MORE THAN 39 PER CENT OVER THE FIRST SEVEN MONTHS OF LAST YEAR, WITH DISCHARGED CARGO GROWING BY OVER 30 PER CENT TO ABOUT 2.45 MILLION TONNES.
THE TOTAL VOLUME OF INCOMING AND OUTGOING CARGO HANDLED BY THE PORT REACHED 23.8 MILLION TONNES, AN INCREASE OF OVER 13 PER CENT.
+ JUDGING BY THE GROWTH MOMENTUM FOR THE FIRST SEVEN MONTHS, WE EXPECT OUR PORT TO SET AN ALL-TIME RECORD FOR ITS THROUGHPUT THIS YEAR, THE SPOKESMAN SAID.
LAST YEAR, THE TOTAL THROUGHPUT WAS 37.1 MILLION TONNES.
TO MEET THIS RAPID GROWTH IN PORT ACTIVITIES, THE MARINE DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN PLANNING THE PROVISION OF ADDITIONAL PUBLIC CARGO WORKING AREAS, THE FIRST OF WHICH WILL BE OPENED IN TSUEN WAN NEXT MONTH (SEPTEMBER).
+AT PRESENT, THE FRONTAGE OF THE EXISTING AREAS IN TSUE. WAN IS 340 METRES. THE NEW AREA WILL PROVIDE A SEA FRONTAGE OF SOME 610 METRES,+ THE SPOKESMAN SAID.
A NEW AREA MEASURING SOME 500 METRES IN LENGTH IS EXPECTED TO OPEN IN CHAI WAN NEXT JANUARY. TO BE READY AT ABOUT THE SA E TIME WILL BE AN ADDITIONAL AREA IN RAMBLER CHANNEL, WHICH WIL INCREASE THE EXISTING FRONTAGE THERE FROM 500 METRES TO 1 040 METRES.
+THIS EXPANSION WILL INCREASE THE SEA FRONTAGE OF PUBLIC CARGO WORKING AREAS THROUGHOUT HONG KONG BY OVER 30 PER CENT. FROM 4 336 METRES TODAY TO 5 646 METRES BY NEXT JANUARY, THE SPOKESMAN SAID.