XN000022-1994-05-02 — Page 10

MONDAY, MAY 2, 1994

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SOME RIVER OPERATORS HAVE RECORDED ANNUAL GROWTH OF 30 PER CENT SINCE 1990.

SHIPPING LINES ARE DEVELOPING NEW SERVICES AND EXPANDING THOSE ALREADY OPERATING. ONE LINE IS DOUBLING ITS WEEKLY BARGE CAPACITY AND EXPECTS STRONG GROWTH. ANOTHER TRADE SOURCE SAYS THERE IS RAPID GROWTH OF BARGE SERVICES BETWEEN ZHUHAI AND HONG KONG.

SOME COMPANIES ARE CONSIDERING THE INTRODUCTION OF RHINE-TYPE BARGES TO THE PEARL RIVER. THESE MUCH BIGGER VESSELS WOULD BE ABLE TO CARRY MORE CONTAINERS EACH TRIP.

THAT THE PORT DEVELOPMENT BOARD'S PORT CARGO FORECASTS PREDICT RIVER TRAFFIC WILL CONTINUE TO GROW AT A RATE OF 8.1 PER CENT A YEAR UNTIL 2011. THIS COMPARES WITH A PROJECTED 6.3 PER CENT PER ANNUM GROWTH FOR OCEAN CARGO.

THE BOARD PREDICTS THAT TOTAL RIVER CARGO TRAFFIC WILL GROW FROM LAST YEAR'S 23 MILLION TONNES TO 49.2 MILLION TONNES IN 2001 AND 84.8 MILLION TONNES IN 2011.

TO COPE WITH THE INCREASED TRAFFIC, THE

HAS GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCED PLANS TO BUILD A DEDICATED RIVER TRADE TERMINAL AT TUEN MUN.

THE GOVERNMENT WILL CALL TENDERS LATER THIS YEAR TO DEVELOP AND OPERATE THE TERMINAL AND EXPECTS THE FIRST BERTH TO COME INTO OPERATION SOMETIME IN 1997.

ONE MAJOR BENEFIT OF THE TERMINAL WILL BE TO SEPARATE RIVER

IT TRAFFIC

WILL FROM OCEAN-GOING VESSELS USING THE CONTAINER PORT. ALSO MEAN THAT RIVER TRADE VESSELS NO LONGER HAVE TO USE THE BUSY AND DIFFICULT MA WAN CHANNEL,

MANUFACTURING CONTRIBUTES TO HK ECONOMY

THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF INDUSTRY, MR DOMENIC LAW, TODAY (MONDAY) REFUTED A GENERAL MISCONCEPTION THAT MANUFACTURING WAS FAST DISAPPEARING IN HONG KONG.

"THIS IS ABSOLUTELY WRONG AND NOTHING IS FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH THAN THAT," HE SAID.

THE INTERNATIONAL

SPEAKING AT THE OPENING SESSION OF CONFERENCE ON DATA AND KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS FOR MANUFACTURING AND ENGINEERING, MR LAW SAID HONG KONG'S MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES WERE CONTRIBUTING 13 PER CENT TO GDP.

IN 1993, THE LOCAL MANUFACTURING SECTOR PRODUCED OVER $200 BILLION DOMESTIC EXPORTS.

IN REAL TERMS, HONG KONG'S MANUFACTURING SECTOR IS PRODUCING 25 PER CENT MORE THAN SEVEN YEARS AGO WITH ONLY THREE-FIFTHS OF THE

WORKERS THEN.

/HE NOTED

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