THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 1984
+MORE IMPORTANTLY, THE NUMBER OF EMPTY CONTAINERS DISCHARGED CLIMBED FROM MONTH TO MONTH, INDICATING THAT THE SHIPPING COMPANIES EXPECT TO PICK UP STILL MORE CONTAINER CARGO IN THE MONTHS AHEAD, HE SAID.
ABOUT 90 PER CENT OF THE TERRITORY'S CONTAINER CARGO IS HANDLED AT THE THREE GIANT TERMINALS IN KWAI CHUNG, WITH THE REST ACCOMMODATED ELSEWHERE IN THE PORT OF HONG KONG.
BESIDES SERVING ITS OWN GROWING EXPORTS AND IMPORTS, HONG KONG IS ALSO THE LARGEST TRANSHIPMENT CENTRE IN ASIA FOR CONTAINER CARGO, WITH ABOUT 30 PER CENT OF ITS TRAFFIC REPRESENTING TRANSHIPMENT THROUGHPUTS.
A THREE-PHASE EXPANSION PROGRAMME FOR KWAI CHUNG WILL POSITION HONG KONG TO MEET THE RISING NEEDS FOR CONTAINER SERVICES FOR THE REST OF THIS DECADE AND INTO THE NEXT, MR FRAWLEY SAID.
UNDER THE FIRST PHASE, 25.5 HECTARES OF SEABED IN THE KWAI CHUNG CREEK WILL BE RECLAIMED WITHIN THE NEXT THREE YEARS AT A COST OF OVER $655 MILLION TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL BACK-UP AREAS FOR THE EXISTING TERMINALS.
+BESIDES IMPROVING EXISTING KWAI CHUNG TRAFFIC, THE RECLAMATION WILL RAISE THE CONTAINER PORT'S EFFICIENT WORKING CAPACITY BY 40 PER CENT TO 2.2 MILLION TEU'S,+ MR FRAWLEY SAID.
IN THE SECOND PHASE, A NEW TERMINAL WITH THREE BERTHS WILL BE BUILT TO THE SOUTH OF THE RECLAMATION, RAISING THE CAPACITY BY ANOTHER 45 PER CENT UPON ITS COMPLETION BY 1988.
TWO ADDITIONAL TERMINALS ARE PLANNED AS A THIRD PHASE OF THE EXPANSION.
=
VALUE OF RECREATION STRESSED
****
THE GROWING AFFLUENCE AND INCREASED LEISURE TIME OF THE COMMUNITY HAS LED TO UNPRECEDENTED DEMAND FOR MORE RECREATION AND SPORTING OPPORTUNITIES, THE ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER FOR RECREATION AND SPORTS, MR DICKEN YUNG SAID THIS EVENING (THURSDAY).
SPEAKING ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF RECREATION IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF A PERSON, MR YUNG SAID IT IS GOVERNMENT'S ACCEPTED POLICY TO ENCOURAGE AND PROMOTE RECREATION FOR THE COMMUNITY.
MR YUNG, WHO WAS THE GUEST OF HONOUR AT THE ANNUAL SPEECH DAY OF QUEEN'S COLLEGE IN CAUSEWAY BAY EXHORTED STUDENTS TO TAKE UP RECREATION AND SPORT ACTIVITIES WHICH HE SAID WOULD BENEFIT THEM PHYSICALLY, INTELLECTUALLY AND SOCIALLY.
+SPORTS AND GAMES ARE GENERALLY CONSIDERED A USEFUL MEANS TO OVERCOME STRESS AND RELIEVE TENSION, HE SAID.
}
/+THESE ACTIVITIES,