XN000022-1976-09-06 — Page 5

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1976

80 PER CENT OF H.K.'S EXPORTS TO BE HANDLED

IN CONTAINERS BY 1980

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THE SECRETARY FOR ECONOMIC SERVICES, MR. DEREK JONES, TODAY PREDICTED THAT BY THE END OF THIS DECADE 80 PER CENT OF HONG KONG'S EXPORTS AND 50 PER CENT OF ITS IMPORTS WOULD BE HANDLED IN CONTAINERS.

HE WAS SPEAKING AT THE INAUGURAL SESSION OF THE ESCAP SEMINAR ON PORT DEVELOPMENT FOR UNIT LOADS AND CONTAINERISATION,

MR. JONES RECALLED THAT IN THE LATE 1960S, AND FOLLOWING AN INTENSIVE STUDY BY A COMMITTEE COMPOSED OF PORT USERS AND GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, THREE SMALL CONTAINER TERMINALS WERE INTRODUCED IN THE INNER HARBOUR AREA.

+IN THE EARLY 1970S, THREE MORE MAJOR CONTAINER TERMINALS WERE DEVELOPED AT THE CONTAINER PORT OF KWAI CHUNG ON THE WESTERN SIDE OF THE HARBOUR, HE SAID.

HE POINTED OUT THAT LAST YEAR THESE FACILITIES HANDLED 5.25 MILLION DEADWEIGHT TONS OF CARGO IN OVER 800,000 CONTAINERS, REPRESENTING OVER 43 PER CENT OF ALL HONG KONG'S DRY IMPORT AND EXPORT CARGOES.

CURRENTLY, HE SAID, THREE FURTHER BERTHS WERE UNDER CONSTRUCTION AND, BY THE END OF THIS YEAR, THE COMPLEX AT KWAI CHUNG WOULD COMPRISE FOUR TERMINALS AND SIX BERTHS, ALL CAPABLE OF TAKING THE LARGEST CONTAINERSHIPS PRESENTLY IN USE OR NOW ENVISAGED.

+DESPITE THE RAPID GROWTH OF CONTAINERISATION, A CONS IDERABLE PROPORTION OF THE CARGO MOVING THROUGH THE PORT IS STILL HANDLED AT ONE STAGE OR ANOTHER, BY CONVENTIONAL OR TRADITIONAL MEANS, + MR. JONES SAID.

+ IT IS MAINLY DEALT WITH IN BREAKBULK FORM AND TRANSPORTED BY BARGE AND LORRY, FROM OCEAN-GOING SHIPS TO THE SEAWALL AND VICE VERSA.+

MR. JONES SAID THAT BY THE EARLY 1980S, THE PRESENT KWAI CHUNG CONTAINER TERMINALS WOULD PROBABLY HAVE LITTLE SPARE CAPACITY AND THE DEMAND FOR BREAKBULK CARGO HANDLING FACILITIES MIGHT THEN AGAIN BEGIN TO INCREASE.

+IN ANTICIPATION OF THIS DEMAND, THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT IS INTRODUCING A PROGRAMME OF CONTROL MÉASURES AT PUBLIC CARGO WORK ING AREAS WITH THE AIM OF MAXIMISING THE USE OF SEAWALLS. INCREASING CARGO THROUGHPUT RATES, REDUCING CARGO HANDLING COSTS, AND ALLEVIATING ROAD TRAFFIC CONGESTION,+ HE ADDED.

REFERRING TO THE METHOD OF TURNING TO THE PRIVATE SECTOR TO PROVIDE THE NECESSARY PORT FACILITIES, MR. JONES SAID THAT THOUGH IT WAS PERHAPS SOMEWHAT UNUSUAL IN THIS DAY AND AGE, IT HAD SO FAR PROVED VERY SUCCESSFUL.

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