XN000022-1985-10-01 — Page 3

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 1985

THE WORK, WHICH WILL TAKE ABOUT TWO YEARS TO COMPLETE, WILL GIVE RTHK NEAR TERRITORY-WIDE VHF COVERAGE OF RADIOS 1, 2, 4 AND 5. AT THE SAME TIME, THE MEDIUM WAVE COVERAGE OF RÁDIO 3 WILL ALSO BE IMPROVED. THE PLAN WILL ALSO GIVE COMMERCIAL RADIO NEAR TERRITORY-WIDE VHF COVERAGE ON ITS THREE SERVICES.

THE SPOKESMAN NOTED HOWEVER THAT FUNDS FOR RTHK'S PORTION OF THE PLAN, EXPECTED TO COST AROUND $20 MILLION, WILL BE SUBJECT TO THE APPROVAL OF THE FINANCE COMMITTEE OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL WHEN IT MEETS NEXT MONTH.

APPROVAL FOR THE PROGRAMME COMES HARD ON THE HEELS OF RTHK'S INTRODUCTION LAST WEEK OF ADDITIONAL FREQUENCIES FOR RADIOS 1 AND 2.

MORE OCEAN-GOING VESSELS CALLING AT HK

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OCEAN SHIPPING USING HONG KONG PORT INCREASED BY AN UNPRECEDENTED 11 PER CENT IN THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF THIS YEAR, THE DEPUTY SECRETARY FOR ECONOMIC SERVICES, MR GERRY HIGGINSON, TOLD THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE OF SHIPPING THIS (TUESDAY) EVENING.

IN ADDITION, THE TOTAL VOLUME OF CARGO WAS UP MORE THAN 13 PER CENT AND CHINA CARGO UP 35 PER CENT.

MR HIGGINSON NOTED THAT EACH MONTH LAST YEAR ABOUT 1 000 OCEAN-GOING VESSELS CALLED HERE WHILE LOCAL TRAFFIC ALONE AMOUNTED TO MORE THAN 14 000 VESSELS A MONTH.

REFERRING TO THE KWAI CHUNG CONTAINER PORT, MR HIGGINSON SAID EXPANSION WOULD PROCEED IN THREE PHASES. THE FIRST PHASE NOW UNDERWAY WAS SLIGHTLY AHEAD OF SCHEDULE. IT INVOLVED THE RECLAMATION OF AN ADDITIONAL 25 HECTARES OF LAND TO EXTEND THE TOTAL CONTAINER PORT AREA TO SOME 119 HECTARES.

THE SECOND PHASE, NOW AT AN ADVANCED STAGE OF NEGOTIATION, WAS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW THREE-BERTH TERMINAL TO BE KNOWN AS TERMINAL 6. THE FIRST BERTH SHOULD BE COMPLETED IN LATE 1987. THE THIRD PHASE OF THE EXPANSION PROGRAMME WAS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF A FURTHER TWO TERMINALS BY THE EARLY 1990S.

+TO ENSURE THAT THE FACILITIES ARE KEPT ABREAST OF DEMAND HE SAID, +WE ARE PRESENTLY CONDUCTING A PORT DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY STUDY, IN PARALLEL WITH AND TO COMPLEMENT THE TERRITORIAL DEVELOPMENT STUDY, TO ASSESS OUR REQUIREMENTS UNTIL THE END OF THE CENTURY AND TO SEE HOW SHORTFALLS IN FACILITIES CAN BEST BE MET. +

/ON THE