THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 1988
DECISIONS ON PORT AND AIRPORT DEVELOPMENT LIKELY NEXT YEAR GOVERNOR
THE GOVERNMENT WAS AIMING AT MAKING DECISIONS ON THE FURTHER EXPANSION OF THE CONTAINER PORT AND THE LOCATION OF A POSSIBLE NEW AIRPORT BY THE END OF NEXT YEAR, THE GOVERNOR, SIR DAVID WILSON, SAID TODAY (THURSDAY).
SPEAKING TO
REPORTERS AFTER VISITING KWAI CHUNG CONTAINER TERMINALS, SIR DAVID SAID THAT THE PORT AND AIRPORT DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY STUDY WOULD LOOK INTO THE SHORT TERM AND LONG TERM DEVELOPMENTS OF THE CONTAINER PORT.
"THERE IS THE LONGER TERM DECISION. HOW DO WE EXPAND THE WHOLE PORT; IF WE NEED A NEW AIRPORT, WHERE DO WE PUT THE NEW AIRPORT: AND HOW TO TIE THOSE TWO THINGS TOGETHER? THE AIM IS TO GET THOSE DECISIONS BY THE END OF NEXT YEAR, HE SAID.
ON THE SHORT TERM, SIR DAVID SAID THAT RECOMMENDATIONS WOULD BE MADE BY THE END OF THIS YEAR ON WHERE THE NEXT PHASE OF CONTAINER TERMINALS SHOULD GO.
THE GOVERNOR NOTED THAT HONG KONG'S CONTAINER PORT HAD OVERTAKEN ROTTERDAM AS THE BUSIEST PORT IN THE WORLD.
INCREASE AT YEARS, SIR
"WE'VE GOT TO PLAN FOR THE FUTURE BECAUSE THE AMOUNT OF THROUGHPUT THROUGH THE CONTAINER PORT HERE IS BOUND ΤΟ LEAST AT THE RATE THAT HAS BEEN GOING ON IN THE LAST FEW DAVID SAID.
NOTING THAT THE FIRST BERTH OF TERMINAL 6. WHICH WOULD COME INTO OPERATION NEXT MONTH, AND THE SUCCESSIVE SERIES OF NEW BERTHS SHOULD ENABLE HONG KONG TO KEEP UP WITH THE LIKELY DEMAND FOR THE NEXT FEW YEARS UNTIL 1993/94, SIR DAVID SAID WE WOULD HAVE TO PLAN FOR THE FUTURE AFTER THAT.
PLANNING ON AN
ESTIMATED 12 PER CENT INCREASE EACH YEAR CONTINUING, THERE WERE DISPUTES ABOUT WHETHER THAT WOULD PROVE TO BE FESSIMISTIC, IN OTHER WORDS, THAT THERE MIGHT ACTUALLY BE MORE THAN THAT, OR WHETHER IT MIGHT BE LESS THAN THAT, HE SAID.
ON.
"BUT A 12 PER CENT PER YEAR GROWTH IS WHAT WE ARE PLANNING ON THAT BASIS, THE EXPANSION WE ALREADY HAVE IN HAND WILL CARRY US THROUGH TILL 1993," HE ADDED.
1997, THE KONG,
ASKED HIS FEELINGS ABOUT A PROPOSAL TO HOLD AN EXPO GOVERNOR SAID THAT IN LIGHT OF THE MASSIVE DEVELOPMENTS IN HONG IT WAS A VERY INTERESTING AND ENCOURAGING IDEA TO LOOK AT THE QUESTION OF 1997 IN A POSITIVE WAY.
"WHETHER IT