TNAG-2409-FCO40-3503-Hong-Kong-Port-and-Airport-Development-Strategy-(PADS)-Brit-1992 — Page 300

EY

T.H.S.Ltd

TEL: 071-493-5484

DRAFT

TELEGRAM

24.04.92 17:40 No.026 P.03

FROM

DTI ΤΟ

SIR ROBIN

MCLAREN, HE UK

AMBASSADOR TO BEIJING

TSING MA BRIDGE HONG KONG AIRPORT

1.

2.

3.

You should know that it is likely the Hong Kong Government will decide within the next week or so on the award of the contract for the Tsing Ma Bridge. Anglo Japanese Construction Joint Venture (Trafalgar House, Costain & Mitsui) appear to be in the last two along with Hyundai of South Korea. AJCJV were in Hong Kong the week before Easter for discussions with the Hong Kong Government (the fifth round of talks on the tender this year) and were told Hyundai were also there for discussions. We believe the other two competitors - the all Japanese consortium, led by Nippon Steel, and the Hong Kong International consortium led by Bouygues of France and Hochtief of Germany have been ruled out, the former on price grounds, HK$2 billion higher than AJCJV, and the latter both on price and technical

grounds.

According to a conversation Sir David Ford, Chief Secretary, Hong Kong, had with Sir Gordon Manzie, once the Hong Kong Government have taken a decision they will consult the Chinese Government and EXCO with a view to awarding the contract on 18 May 1992 (the intervening period would be used for detailed discussions on contract conditions and programme with the selected contractor).

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Hyundai are not well qualified to build this large suspension bridge. The largest bridge they have built so far (the Nam-Hai in Korea) is about 400m main span (cf 1377 Tsing Ma). This is in stark contrast to the experience of Trafalgar House which has been involved in building Forth, Severn, Quebec, Bosporous I, Rio Niteroi (Brazil), Humber the largest in the world, most recently the Queen Elizabeth II bridge at Dartford, and are now engaged on the widening of the RodenKirchen Suspension Bridge over the Rhine at Cologne. Mitsui also have extensive bridge building experience, having been involved in the second Bosporus Bridge (for which Trafalgar House were just beaten into second place) and several major recent bridges in Japan. Many of the key personnel from all these bridges are still there and available for Tsing Ma.

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