XN000022-1996-07-09 — Page 11

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Plotting the growth of Hong Kong's river trade

A $1.88 million consultancy was today (Tuesday) awarded by the Port Development Board for the compilation of detailed statistics on Hong Kong's river trade cargo handling activities for 1996.

"River trade cargo traffic is the fastest growing component of Hong Kong's port throughput.

"Figures produced by the consultancy will be useful in the planning and timing of future river trade facilities," the Deputy Secretary of the Port Development Board, Mr Ng Kwing-kee, said after signing the consultancy contract with the Research Director of the Survey Research Hongkong Ltd, Mr Johnny Tsin.

Last year,

river trade vessels from the Pearl River Delta in China had handled more than 28.7 million tonnes of cargo in Hong Kong. It accounted for 18 per cent of the total cargo tonnage passing through the port.

"In 1995 containerised cargo moving between Hong Kong and the Pearl River ports showed a massive jump of 44 per cent to total over 1.3 million TEUs," said Mr Ng.

"Figures for the first four months of 1996 show a further 35 per cent increase in containers moving by river. This compares with only five per cent increase in container throughput for the port as a whole during the same period."

To cope with this rapid growth, new port facilities must be planned. The detailed statistics provided by the consultancy will form the basis for future planning of such facilities and ensure that they can cater for the demand.

One of the new port facilities under the planning programme is the dedicated river trade terminal at Tuen Mun, which is the first of its kind in Hong Kong. The government had awarded a tender for the right to build and operate it in March.

Like the container terminals, it will be built and operated by the private sector. Phase I is expected to be completed in early 1999.

There are plans envisage Hong Kong's second river trade terminal to be built just to the north of the new Lantau Port in due course.

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