THURSDAY, JULY 28, 1994
9
CONSULTANTS TO STUDY RIVER TRADE
SIGNED A STATISTICS ON
THE
(THURSDAY) PORT DEVELOPMENT BOARD (PDB) TODAY $1.45 MILLION CONSULTANCY CONTRACT TO OBTAIN ACCURATE CARGO MOVEMENTS BETWEEN PEARL RIVER PORTS AND HONG KONG.
(MDR), THE
THE CONSULTANTS, MARKETING DECISION RESEARCH TECHNOLOGY WILL START WORK NEXT MONDAY (AUGUST 1) AND ARE DUE TO COMPLETE STUDY BY MAY 31, 1995.
PDB SECRETARY TONY CLARK SAID THE FIGURES COMPILED WOULD BE VITAL PART OF DEVELOPMENT PLANS FOR RIVER TRADE FACILITIES.
A
OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS RIVER TRADE HAS GROWN RAPIDLY OF THE ECONOMIC BOOM IN SOUTHERN CHINA.
BECAUSE
PER
30
TOTAL CARGO THROUGHPUT INCREASED BY 56 PER CENT IN 1992 AND CENT
MORE SIGNIFICANT
THE LAST YEAR.
WAS
IN GROWTH
RIVER IN THE FIRST CONTAINER ᎢᎡᎪᎠᎬ ; 41 PER CENT IN 1993 AND 54 PER CENT QUARTER OF THIS YEAR.
GROWTH.
WERE
NEW RIVER TRADE FACILITIES ARE NEEDED TO COPE WITH THE MR CLARK POINTED OUT THAT DETAILED AND COMPREHENSIVE STATISTICS ESSENTIAL IN DEVISING SHORT TO LONG TERM DEVELOPMENT PLANS FACILITIES.
FOR SUCH
INWARD
AND
THE ONLY FIGURES AVAILABLE ARE THE OF RIVER CARGO IN TONNES AND THE RIVER CONTAINER
PRESENTLY,
TOTAL
OUTWARD THROUGHPUT.
TYPES OF PUBLIC CARGO
THESE DO NOT MEET PLANNING NEEDS FOR THE DIFFERENT RIVER TRADE WHICH DEMAND DIFFERENT FACILITIES SUCH AS WORKING AREAS, FEEDER BERTHS AND RIVER TRADE TERMINALS.
PLAN THESE TO
ON SHIPMENT REQUIRES ACCURATE FIGURES COMMODITIES, CARGO TYPE AND PORT OF LOADING AND DISCHARGE.
TYPE,
VARIOUS
MEMBERS OF THE PORT DEVELOPMENT BOARD, AND ITS COMMITTEES, HAVE ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS URGED THE GOVERNMENT TO SET UP A
AS RIVER CARGO
SYSTEM AS PRICE AND COMPREHENSIVE STATISTICS OPERATING FOR OCEAN CARGO.
THAT
THE RESULTS OF THE CONSULTANCY WILL BE USED TO SET UP
SUCH A
SYSTEM.
AS
RIVER
TRADE THE BUILDING AND
(RTT).
PART OF ITS PLANS TO COPE WITH GROWING GOVERNMENT WILL, LATER THIS YEAR, CALL TENDERS FOR THE OPERATING OF HONG KONG'S FIRST DEDICATED RIVER TRADE TERMINAL THIS WILL BE BUILT AT TUEN MUN AND THE FIRST BERTH SHOULD BE OPERATING SOMETIME IN 1997.
20.7 BASED ON AVAILABLE STATISTICS THE PDB ESTIMATES THAT THE MILLION TONNES OF FREIGHT CARRIED BY RIVER IN 1993 WILL DOUBLE BY 2001 AND QUADRUPLE BY 2011.
IF THE RTT DOES NOT BEGIN OPERATING THE HONG KONG ECONOMY
MEAN THAT IT WILL LOSE $13.3 BILLION BETWEEN 1997 AND 2011. MILLION 20-FOOT EQUIVALENT UNITS (TEUS) OF CONTAINERISED FREIGHT MOVE THROUGH 15.2 MILLION TONNES OF BREAK-BULK CARGO DOES NOT PORT.
WILL
7.4
AND
THE
/THERE IS