XN000022-1992-11-17 — Page 2

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 1992

IMPROVEMENT IN PORT FACILITIES CONTINUES

HONG KONG'S CONTAINER AND RIVER TRADE HANDLING CAPACITY WILL BE GREATLY INCREASED WITH MAJOR IMPROVEMENT IN PORT FACILITIES COMING ON STREAM.

THIS WAS STATED BY THE SECRETARY FOR WORKS, MR JAMES BLAKE, THE OPENING OF A PROJECT MANAGEMENT INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE GUANGZHOU TODAY (TUESDAY).

HE SAID: "DURING THE SUMMER OF NEXT YEAR, CONTAINER TERMINAL ON STONECUTTERS ISLAND WILL COME ON STREAM.

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"WHEN FULLY COMPLETED IT WILL INCREASE OUR CONTAINER TERMINAL CAPACITY FROM THE PRESENT 5.4 MILLION TEUS (20-FOOT EQUIVALENT UNITS) PER YEAR TO 7.2 MILLION.

"CONTAINER TERMINAL 9 ON TSING YI SHOULD COME ON STREAM DURING IT WILL FURTHER INCREASE TERMINAL CAPACITY TO NEARLY 9 MILLION TEUS PER YEAR, HE ADDED.

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MR BLAKE SAID THE DEVELOPMENT OF FURTHER CONTAINER TERMINALS WOULD THEN SHIFT FROM KWAI CHUNG AND TSING YI TO NORTH LANTAU.

HE STRESSED THAT THIS STRATEGY WOULD DEPEND UPON THE COMPLETION OF THE LANTAU FIXED CROSSING, CONNECTING NORTH LANTAU TO THE MAINLAND NEW TERRITORIES, AND PROVIDING ADEQUATE LAND TRANSPORT ACCESS TO NEW PORT FACILITIES ON LANTAU.

"THE FIRST BERTH OF THE CONTAINER TERMINAL 10 ON NORTH LANTAU SHOULD BE COMPLETED BY 1997.

"THIS WILL BE THE FIRST STEP IN DEVELOPING AN ENTIRELY NEW PORT COMPLETE WITH CONTAINER AND RIVER TRADE TERMINALS, SHIP REPAIR AND ASSOCIATED SERVICES."

FOR THE LONGER, MR BLAKE SAID THE POTENTIAL FOR PROVIDING SHELTERED ANCHORAGES IN THE WESTERN HARBOUR HAD BEEN IDENTIFIED.

"A NEW DEEP WATER SHIPPING CHANNEL WEST OF LAMMA ISLAND WILL BE DREDGED, AND TYPHOON SHELTERS WILL BE CONSTRUCTED AT HEI LING CHAU.

"TUEN MUN, ON THE WEST COAST OF THE TERRITORY, HAS BEEN

IDENTIFIED FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF PEARL RIVER TRADE TERMINAL FACILITIES, AND THE PROVISION OF DEEP-WATER SITES FOR SPECIAL INDUSTRIAL USE, HE SAID.

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MR BLAKE ADDED THAT FURTHER DEVELOPMENT PLANS WERE ALSO BEING CONSIDERED FOR A GENERAL CARGO WORKING FACILITY AND A LARGE AREA FOR DEEP WATER SITES FOR SPECIAL INDUSTRIES AT TSEUNG KWAN 0, AT THE EASTERN END OF THE PRESENT HARBOUR.

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HE SAID THE NEED FOR FURTHER DEVELOPMENT WAS UNDERLINED LONG RANGE FORECAST WHICH WAS FOR AN ANNUAL INCREASE IN PORT CARGO 5.6 PER CENT, DOUBLING PORT THROUGHPUT BY 2000, AND DOUBLING AGAIN BY 2011.

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