ENG-1994 — Page 341

PORT DEVELOPMENT

The water depth alongside each berth will be 14.65 metres and the quays will be designed to allow for deepening to 15.65 metres if the dimensions of future vessels should require this.

The quays are being designed for container gantry cranes with a nominal rail gauge of 30.5 metres to allow for multiple lane vehicular access and an outreach of 45 metres to service post-Panamax vessels. Their lifting capacity will be 40 tonnes, enabling them to handle containers up to 16 metres long.

Rubber-tyred or rail-mounted gantries will be used for onshore container storage. Container yards will be laid out to allow stacking of up to five containers in seven- container-wide stacks on gravel beds.

Although there are still no fully automated terminals, automated systems are being developed and refined. The Recommended Outline Development Plan recommends that Hong Kong's terminal development must have sufficient flexibility to incorporate future automation.

Phase I Development Plan (1997 to 2000)

Developers will build four container berths (Terminal 10) next to Penny's Bay, linked to the southern shore of the Tsing Chau Tsai Peninsula.

Marine access will be from the east, using a channel dredged from the East Lamma Channel and Victoria Harbour approaches.

A local breakwater aligned along the spine of the central island will provide wave protection from the southeast.

There will be backup areas on reclaimed land in Penny's Bay north of the berths.

Phase II Development Plan (2000 to 2003)

A further four berths (Terminal 11) are to be built next to Terminal 10, with associated backup areas behind the berths. Marine access will remain from the east.

Phase III Development Plan (2003 to 2007)

The first section of four north-facing berths will be built on a central island. Backup areas will be to the north of the Phase II berths and will complete the reclamation next to the Tsing Chau Tsai Peninsula.

Access to the central island will be over multi-span road bridges at the eastern end of the development. Building these bridges will prevent ocean-going vessels approaching from the east and will require the dredging of the West Lamma Channel to provide a channel 600 metres wide, with a dredged depth of 16 metres. It will provide direct, straight-line access from the sea to Lantau Port.

Phase IV Development Plan (2007 to 2011)

Two north-facing berths will be built on the central island to complete the north basin. A further three berths will be built on the south face.

These later berths will require an additional local breakwater to the west of Kau Yi Chau to provide wave protection from the south and east.

Backup land will be provided next to the Phase II berths north of the bridges and close to the Phase IV berths south of the bridges.

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