XN000022-1988-10-12 — Page 28

16

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 1988

SIR DAVID SAID THAT AS THE

SUCCESSFUL OUTCOME OF SUCH A

FUTURE,

PROJECT WOULD GIVE A MAJOR BOOST TO CONFIDENCE IN HONG KONG'S IT WAS ESSENTIAL TO GET THE DECISION RIGHT.

"THIS MEANS HAVING ALL THE FACTS CLEAR BEFORE WE TAKE DOES NOT MEAN ALLOWING ANY UNNECESSARY DELAY. I INTEND DECISION WILL BE TAKEN BEFORE THE END OF NEXT YEAR, HE SAID.

IT. IT

THAT A

THE GOVERNOR NOTED THAT IT WOULD TAKE BETWEEN SEVEN AND 12 YEARS TO BUILD A NEW AIRPORT, DEPENDING ON THE SITE CHOSEN.

IN THE MEANTIME, HE SAID, KAI TAK WOULD BE EXPANDED ΤΟ COPE WITH TRAFFIC UNTIL A NEW AIRPORT WAS AVAILABLE.

"LATER THIS YEAR, PASSENGER HANDLING INCREASED FROM 12 MILLION TO 20 MILLION AIRCRAFT PARKING WILL BE PROVIDED IN 1989 AND HANDLING AND OTHER FACILITIES IN 1991.

CAPACITY PER YEAR. IMPROVEMENTS

WILL ADDITIONAL TO CARGO

BE

"THESE IMPROVEMENTS WILL BE COSTLY; BUT THEY ARE ESSENTIAL IF KAI TAK IS TO BRIDGE THE GAP UNTIL THE NEW AIRPORT IS BUILT, HE SAID.

11

REFERRING TO THE PORT, SIR DAVID SAID AS DOMESTIC TRADE HAD FLOURISHED AND TRADE WITH CHINA HAD BOOMED, THE PORT HAD BECOME BUSIER THAN EVER.

CITING FIGURES, HE SAID THAT LAST YEAR MORE THAN 70 MILLION TONNES OF CARGO WERE LOADED AND DISCHARGED IN THE PORT OF HONG KONG DOUBLE THE AMOUNT HANDLED IN 1980.

IN THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF THIS YEAR, CARGO TONNAGE HAD INCREASED BY 13 PER CENT OVER THE SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR. KWAI CHUNG WAS NOW THE BUSIEST CONTAINER PORT IN THE WORLD IN THROUGHPUT. THERE HAD ALSO BEEN RAPID INCREASES IN THE SHIPMENT OF NON-CONTAINERISED CARGO.

"CONTINUED GROWTH AT A SIMILAR RATE WILL REQUIRE MASSIVE INVESTMENT IN NEW PORT INFRASTRUCTURE, SIR DAVID SAID.

"THE DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL OF KWAI CHUNG AND THE CONTAINER PORT THERE WILL BE EXHAUSTED ONCE TERMINAL 7 IS BUILT. DECISIONS ON THE LOCATION OF TERMINALS 8 AND 9 WILL BE TAKEN AT THE END OF THIS YEAR.

AND

"BEFORE THE END OF NEXT YEAR WE SHALL NEED TO DECIDE WHERE HOW THE NEXT GENERATION OF PORT FACILITIES SHOULD BE PROVIDED, IN THE LIGHT OF THE FINDINGS OF THE PORT AND AIRPORT DEVELOPMENT STUDIES."

/17