XN000022-1993-11-05 — Page 11

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 1993

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PORT

HE SAID: "ADEQUATE OPERATION ARE PROBABLY THE MOST

FACILITIES AND THEIR EFFICIENT IMPORTANT FACTORS 1N HONG KONG'S ECONOMY. ANY IMPAIRING OF THESE OPERATIONS WILL AFFECT THE LIVELIHOOD OF EVERYONE IN HONG KONG.

"THE ECONOMIC GROWTH OF THE TERRITORY DEPENDS ON RECOGNITION OF THESE FACTS AND THE CAREFUL INCREMENTAL EXPANSION OF THE PORT ΤΟ MEET TRADE DEMANDS UPON IT."

EMPHASISING THE PORT'S IMPORTANCE, MR SIU POINTED OUT THAT IT HANDLED 100 MILLION TONNES OF CARGO LAST YEAR, THIS MADE HONG KONG NOT ONLY THE WORLD'S BUSIEST CONTAINER PORT BUT ONE OF THE WORLD'S LARGEST MERCHANDISE PORTS.

APART FROM CARGO, THE PORT LAST YEAR HANDLED 19 MILLION INTERNATIONAL PASSENGERS AND 90 MILLION INTERNAL PASSENGERS.

THIS MADE HONG KONG ONE OF THE WORLD'S BUSIEST PORTS WITH ONE INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING MOVEMENT EVERY TWO MINUTES.

MR SIU TOLD MEMBERS THAT HONG KONG WOULD NEED TO DOUBLE ITS CONTAINER HANDLING CAPACITY BY THE TURN OF THE CENTURY AND DOUBLE IT AGAIN BY THE YEAR 2011.

HE SAID: "THIS WILL REQUIRE 21 ADDITIONAL CONTAINER BERTHS OVER AND ABOVE CONTAINER TERMINAL 8 WHICH 15 NOW BEING DEVELOPED. FOUR OF THESE WILL BE AT CONTAINER TERMINAL 9 AND THE REST AT THE NEW PORT AT LANTAU.

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MR SIU EMPHASISED THAT THERE WAS NO TURNING BACK ON CT9. IT WAS NEEDED TO PROVIDE ESSENTIAL PORT CAPACITY OVER AND ABOVE THAT AVAILABLE AT CT1 TO 8.

FAILURE TO GET CT9 INTO PLACE WOULD LEAD го SERIOUS TRAFFIC CONGESTION AT KWAI TSING AND DEPRIVE THE PORT OF VITALLY NEEDED BACKUP AREAS.

THE FIRST PHASE OF THE LANTAU PORT NEEDED TO BE COMMISSIONED AS SOON AS THE LANTAU FIXED CROSSING WAS OPENED, IN MAY 1997.

FUTURE PHASES WOULD BE BROUGHT INTO USE AS CARGO DEMANDS GREW WITH THE FINAL STAGE BEING COMPLETED BY 2011. PROVISION EXISTS IN CURRENT PLANS FOR A FURTHER FOUR BERTHS SHOULD THESE BE NEEDED.

MR SIU ADDED: "IT IS IMPORTANT ΤΟ UNDERSTAND THAT THIS DEVELOPMENT WILL TAKE PLACE ONLY AS DEMAND BUILDS UP. NOTHING WILL HAPPEN UNLESS THE DEVELOPMENT IS FINANCIALLY AND COMMERCIALLY VIABLE.

LIKE THE EXISTING FACILITIES AT KWAI CHUNG, THE NEW PORT WOULD

BE DEVELOPED AND OPERATED BY THE PRIVATE SECTOR.

MR SIŲ SAID SINCE HONG KONG'S CONTAINER THROUGHPUT HAD RISEN FROM ZERO TO EIGHT MILLION TEUS IN 25 YEARS, THERE WERE BOUND ΤΟ BE PROBLEMS.

THESE PROBLEMS NEEDED THE

MEMBERS.

UNDERSTANDING AND HELP OF LEGCO

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