XN000022-1985-12-13 — Page 5

FRIDAY, DE

PROSPECT (ONTAINER PORT EXPANSION STUDIED

THE PROSPECT OF FURTHER EXPANSION IN CONTAINER PORT

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FACIL THIS WAS BEING EX-MINED BY THE GOVERNMENT TO COPE WITH THE ANTICIPATED FUTURE INCREASE IN TRADE, THE SECRETARY FOR ECONOMIC EPVICES, MR PIERS JACOBS SAID TODAY.

SPEAKING AT THE CONTRACT SIGNING CEREMONY HELD AT HUTCHISON HOUSE FOR CONTA INE TERMINAL NO. 6 IN KWAI CHUNG TODAY (FRIDAY,, MR JACOBS SAID IT WAS EXPECTED THAT SOME 2.2 MILLION CONTAINERS WOULD USE THE KWAI CHUNG CONTAINER PORT FACILITIES THIS YEAR.

+THE CONTAINER PORT ALONE IS NOW OPERATING WELL ABOVE DESIGN CAPACITY AND NEEDS TO BE EXPANDED.

+FOR THE ORDERLY DEVELOPMENT OF HONG KONG, AND TO ENABLE US TO KEEP OUR TRADE MOVING, IT IS VITAL THAT THE PORT CAN COPE WITH THE EVER INCREASING DEMANDS PLACED UPON IT,+ HE SAID.

HE DISCLOSED THAT PLANNING FOR TERMINALS NO. 7 AND NO. 8 WAS ALREADY UNDERWAY AND THE POSSIBILITY OF FURTHER EXPANSION WOULD BE EXAMINED IN THE PORT DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY STUDY SO AS TO KEEP PACE WITH INCREASES IN TRADE.

+THE EXISTING SIX BERTHS FALL SHORT OF OUR FORECAST REQUIREMENTS TOWARDS THE END OF THIS DECADE.

+FORTUNATELY, EXISTING RESOURCES TOGETHER WITH THE BRINGING INTO USE OF THE BACKUP AREAS CURRENTLY BEING RECLAIMED IN KWAI CHUNG CREEK SHOULD BE ABLE TO COPE UNTIL 1989, THOUGH THIS DOES ASSUME FOR THE TIME BEING GREATER USE OF THE HARBOUR MOORINGS FOR CERTAIN CONTAINER MOVEMENTS.

+BUT TERMINAL NO. 6 WILL NEED TO BE IN A POSITION TO COMMENCE OPERATIONS IN THAT YEAR, HE SAID.

MR JACOBS SAID HE WAS PLEASED TO LEARN THAT THE DEVELOPER, HONGKONG INTERNATIONAL TERMINALS LIMITED, PLANNED TO HAVE THE FIRST BERTH OF TERMINAL NO. 6 READY TO HANDLE CONTAINERS BY THE THIRD QUARTER OF 1989.

THE FULL THREE BERTH DEVELOPMENT OF THE TERMINAL SHOULD BE OPERATIONAL BY MID-1990 AND THE SCHEDULE IS BEING ADHERED TO.

MR JACOBS SAID ALSO THAT THE SIGNING OF THE CONTRACT WAS ANOTHER VISIBLE AND CONCRETE SIGN OF THE COMMITMENT OF THE GOVERNMENT AND THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY TO INVEST IN HONG KONG'S LONG-TERM FUTURE.

+ IT IS A STRIKING SYMBOL OF HOW QUICKLY HONG KONG IS GETTING ON WITH THE BUSINESS OF BUILDING ITS OWN FUTURE ON THE SOUND BASIS PROVIDED BY THE SINO-BRITISH JOINT DECLARATION, + HE SAID.

THE CONTRACT WAS SIGNED, ON BEHALF OF THE GOVERNMENT, EY THE DIRECTOR OF LANDS, MR JOHN TODD, AND THE DEVELOPER THE HONGKONG INTERNATIONAL TERMINALS LIMITED, REPRESENTED BY MR LI KA-SHING.

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