-
20 -
Port Development Board welcomes Land Commission agreement
The Port Development Board has welcomed the Sino-British Land Commission's agreement to provide land for the River Trade Terminal at Tuen Mun.
At its meeting today (Friday) the Land Commission adjusted the 1995-96 Land Disposal Programme to provide 67 hectares of land to build the territory's first dedicated River Trade Terminal (RTT).
The Secretary of the Port Development Board, Mr Tony Clark, said: "This is good news for the port of Hong Kong."
River traffic is the fastest growing component of Hong Kong's port throughput. In 1994, it grew by 30 per cent compared with 17 per cent for ocean cargo. It also accounted for 21 per cent of the total cargo tonnage passing through the port."
While general river trade increased by 30 per cent in 1994, the number of containers moving between Hong Kong and the Pearl River ports increased by 52.8 per cent to total nearly one million TEUS (20-foot equivalent units).
Figures for the first seven months of this year showed a further 35 per cent increase in containers moving by river.
Mr Clark said: "The RTT will help to cope with continued growth and will reduce the number of small vessels using the busy Ma Wan Channel. It should also encourage more shippers to use the Pearl River to transport goods thus easing pressure on the road system."
He added that it was important to understand that the RTT would not handle either inter-continental or intra-Asia traffic; rather it would act as a consolidation and feeder facility for the existing container port.
Located at Area 38 in Tuen Mun, the RTT will be built by private enterprise. The Government plans to dispose of the right to build and operate the facility early in 1996.
The first phase, with 800 metres of quayface, is planned for completion in 1999. Eventually the RTT will have a total of 3,000 metres of quayface, all dedicated to serving river craft.
End/Friday, November 25, 1995