11
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 1988
"GIVEN HONG KONG'S VERY SMALL AREA WE HAVE ONLY 1,000 SQUARE KILOMETRES AND MOST OF THAT HAS EITHER BEEN BUILT UP FOR URBAN DEVELOPMENT OR IS MOUNTAINOUS WE CAN ONLY DEVELOP NEW CONTAINER FACILITIES, FOR EXAMPLE, BY RECLAMATION FROM THE SEA, SHE SAID.
14
"THIS PLANNING MUST GO ON IRRESPECTIVE OF 1997 SHE ADDED.
↓
MRS CHAN SAID HONG KONG SHIPOWNERS NOW CONTROLLED SOME 1,200 SHIPS OF ABOUT 500 MILLION DEADWEIGHT TONS, PERHAPS AS MUCH AS 10 PER CENT OF THE WORLD'S TOTAL TONNAGE.
"COUPLED WITH THIS EXPANSION, IS OF HONG KONG AS A SHIP MANAGEMENT BASE, INTERLOCKING MESH OF RELATED SERVICES SERVICES, INSURANCE AND SO ON.
**INDEED THERE ARE FEW, IF
ANY,
THE
CORRESPONDING EXPANSION AND AN ESTABLISHMENT OF AN SHIPPING FINANCE, LEGAL
COUNTRIES WHICH MANAGE MORE
SHIPPING TONNAGE THAN HONG KONG," SHE SAID.
MRS CHAN SAID THE DEVELOPMENT OF HONG KONG INTO A LARGE SHIP OWNING AND SHIP MANAGEMENT CENTRE IN THE PAST YEARS HAD BEEN DUE TO A NUMBER OF FACTORS.
"THE OPEN MARKET FREE ENTERPRISE POLICY OF THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT, THE LOW TAXATION LEVELS, THE SOPHISTICATION OF ITS FINANCIAL AND COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS AND THE AVAILABILITY OF A POOL SKILLED INDUSTRIOUS WORKERS AT THE RIGHT COST HAVE ALL HELPED. PLAN NO CHANGES HERE, SHE SAID.
11
OF WE
MRS CHAN SAID HONG KONG WAS ALSO AN IMPORTANT PORT OF REGISTER
AND FOR SHIPS
IT HAD SOMETHING MORE THAN SEVEN MILLION GROSS REGISTERED TONS ON ITS BOOKS AND THE PROSPECTS FOR GROWTH WERE GOOD.
SHE SAID THAT WITH
THE
THE
AGREEMENT OF BOTH THE CHINESE AND BRITISH GOVERNMENTS,
HONG KONG GOVERNMENT TOGETHER WITH THE SHIPPING INDUSTRY IN HONG KONG WAS BUSILY ENGAGED IN PLANNING HOW BEST TO MODIFY THE EXISTING REGISTER SO THAT IT COULD TRANSIT 1997 WITH "A MINIMUM OF FUSS AND A MAXIMUM OF CONTINUITY".
"WE ARE MAKING GOOD PROGRESS AND ARE END OF 1990, A MODIFIED REPUTABLE REGISTER SAID.
CONFIDENT, THAT BY WILL BE
PLACE,
THE
IN
SHE
"SO STEADY PROGRESS IS BEING MADE TO KEEP HONG KONG IN
SHIPPING SCENE WELL INTO THE FOREFRONT OF THE INTERNATIONAL
THE
NEXT
"
CENTURY, SHE ADDED.
/12
LJ
F