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LETTER
NO. 130 7TH MARCH 1970
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The
HK CONTAINER PORT GETS GO-AHEAD
The Government's main concern in the proposed container port at Kwaichung is to have adequate facilities available as soon as possible, the Financial Secretary, Sir John Cowperthwaite, said at last week's Budget Debate.
were
Sir John said the facilities needed particularly for non-self-sustaining ships but in such a way that no interests or groups of interests could mono- polise what will inevitably be scarce facilities.
Sir John said the Government intends to go to tender in April with an offer to lease land for the container berths at Kwai- chung, but in a manner which keeps all options open.
The budget was one of the most optimistic in recent years. The Financial Secretary report- ed an estimated surplus of $292 million for the current year
1
$239 million more than expect- ed and predicted for the new financial year revenue of $2,530
million and expenditure of $2,393 million, resulting in a sur- plus of $137 million.
the end of next year.
Lash is the abbreviation for “Lighter Aboard Ship", a revolu- tionary system for carrying cargo aboard ship in lighters (floating containers).
It dramatically increases the speed of cargo handling, and cuts voyage turn-around time in half. The entire Lash vessel can be loaded to capacity in twenty- four hours, as compared with ten days for conventional ships.
Lash ships can be completely independent of wharves. Lighters (floating containers) will be car- ried to the stern of the ship by the 500-ton capacity travelling crane and discharged into the water. Similarly, and concurrent-
Lasn ships for H.K.ty, standard containers can
The Pacific Far East Line will be introducing a new type of cargo ship to Hong Kong next year.
be
handled into barges by the 35- ton capacity gantry crane.
ping
The company announced that img
it had ordered six of the vessels, "called Lash, for the Far East
alone. The first of these lash S ships will arrive in Hong Kong,
on her maiden voyage, before
Tug boats will move the lighters and containers to discharge piers. The loading process is mere- ly a reversal of the above pro-
cedure.
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