ENG-1997 — Page 335

PORT DEVELOPMENT

economics. Its port has grown along with its own economy and that of the mainland of China.

About a decade ago, it became apparent that future growth would be of an order not previously appreciated and that careful co-ordination would be needed so that the development would integrate into overall plans for developing Hong Kong.

From recognition of this need came the Port Development Board (PDB) established in April 1990. It advises the government on all aspects of port development and is responsible for:

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identifying strategic port needs

monitoring plans to meet these needs

listening to and gathering the views of the port industries and services.

following up on those views as necessary

maintaining the port's competitiveness in the region, and

linking government and private sector involvement in port planning and development.

To do this, the board brings together key players from the private sector and the government to determine and promote recommended solutions to problems. It acts as a focal point for ideas and opinions expressed by port operators and for anyone affected by port expansion.

The board assesses development needs in the light of changing demand, port capacity, productivity and performance and competition from regional ports. One of its main tasks is to determine what port facilities will be needed and to advise on the best means of ensuring that they are ready on time.

Current Strategic Planning

The significant investment in upgrading equipment and systems in the eight existing terminals at Kwai Chung over the past two or three years, which is on-going, enabled the port to handle the continuing growth in container throughput. In 1997, one container terminal handled over 1 million TEUS at its single-berth terminal than three times the rate of most other ports in the world.

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To meet the growing demand, Hong Kong is building a new container terminal, Container Terminal 9 (CT9), on Tsing Yi Island opposite the existing terminals. Much of 1997 was spent in the detailed planning of the project, which includes overall rationalisation of the berths at Kwai Chung and Tsing Yi. The terminal will consist of four deep-sea berths and two feeder berths to accommodate the interchange of containers between large ocean-going vessels and regional carriers. Construction of CT9 is expected to start in early 1998 with the first berth coming into operation by the middle of 2001.

In view of the increasing number of river trade vessels operating between the Pearl River Delta and Hong Kong, the first dedicated River Trade Terminal (RTT) is being built at Tuen Mun in the north-west New Territories. This location means that many river trade vessels will be able to avoid the busy Ma Wan Channel. The project is on target and phase one is due to start operating in the latter half of 1998.

The completion of CT9 and the RTT will enable Hong Kong to maintain its role as the premier port for southern China well into the first decade of the next century. Planning for a new container port at North-East Lantau, with a potential for four

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