ENG-1985 — Page 24

HONG KONG IN TOUCH WITH THE WORLD

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fewer liners calling at Hong Kong, the harbour is busier than ever, with some 13 000 ocean- going vessels arriving each year. Turnover is rapid. Ships working cargo while moored at buoys are in port for an average of less than three days, while container ships turn around in 13 hours, giving Hong Kong the fastest turn around rate in Asia. On average, some 140 ocean-going ships are working in the port every day, and more than 200 can be accommodated if necessary - for example during a typhoon.

The tradition of an efficient shipping service is particularly important to Hong Kong because more than 90 per cent in volume of all imports and exports goes by sea. Hong Kong's situation on the Far East trade routes is of growing importance in the context of the fast-developing Asian Pacific Basin. The territory's geographical position allows it to focus on developing access to China and to Southeast Asia. In the first half of 1985, ocean shipping was up 11 per cent, total cargo volume was up more than 13 per cent, and China cargoes up 35 per cent, compared with the first half of 1984.

Hong Kong has long relied on the mid-stream loading and unloading of cargo, and despite the growth of containerisation, deepwater harbour moorings retain their value. Cargo for ships moored in mid-stream is taken on lighters and junks to and from land-based cargo handling areas, both public and private. More than 2 000 lighters and junks, all privately owned, work in this trade, with the vessels often being both home and workplace for the families who operate them. As cargo is loaded or unloaded from the hold, laundry flutters from a line at the rear of the cabin.

Hong Kong's container port at Kwai Chung is the third busiest in the world, after Rotterdam and New York. About half of Hong Kong's inward general cargo arrives in containers, while about three-fifths of the outward cargo is also in containers. More than two million TEUs (20-foot equivalent units) were handled in 1985. For perspective, this was three times the throughput at England's largest container port, Felixstowe. The container handling system is being expanded in three phases to prepare for expected future growth, beginning with reclamation and going on to the construction of three new terminals to be finished by the early 1990s.

Along with physical facilities, the present and future successful operation of the port of Hong Kong requires a substantial legal framework. Shipping is specifically mentioned in an annex to the Joint Declaration on the future of Hong Kong, which confirms that private shipping businesses, including container terminals, may continue to operate freely. It also provides for the establishment of an autonomous shipping register.

Ships arriving in Hong Kong follow the same approaches as the sailing ships of the early days. Entrance is through the East Lamma Channel from the west and the Tathong Channel from the east. These approaches and the harbour itself are equipped with a comprehensive series of navigational aids which, with the traffic separation schemes operating throughout the approaches, provide safe operation for vessels by day or night. The Marine Department is also developing, in association with Canadian marine authorities, a vessel traffic management system. The idea behind this system is to ensure the safety and efficiency of the port and its approaches by providing almost solid cover of all Hong Kong waters used by ocean-going vessels.

Hong Kong is an important centre for the recruitment of seamen. Some 11 000 registered Hong Kong seamen serve on some 950 foreign-going vessels flying various flags.

The China Connection

The rapid increase in the volume of trade with China has strengthened economic ties and co-operation between the two centres and Hong Kong, as the Asia-Pacific region's major