ENG-2002 — Page 313

TRANSPORT

Point Building, provision of a one-lane north-bound flyover at the Control Point exit, installation of X-ray machines for inspection of goods and container vehicles and additional coach lay-bys.

New Boundary Crossings Under Planning

To meet the anticipated growth in cross-boundary traffic, new road and rail crossings have been planned in coordination with the Mainland authorities. These include a fourth road crossing, i.e. the Shenzhen Western Corridor which will provide a link between Hong Kong and Shekou in Shenzhen. A second rail passenger crossing at Lok Ma Chau/Huanggang will be provided upon the commissioning of the Sheung Shui to Lok Ma Chau Spur Line in 2007.

A joint study is being conducted with the Mainland authorities on an express rail link between Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong. Agreement has also been reached with the Mainland authorities to conduct a joint study on a land transport link between Hong Kong and Pearl River West.

Cross-boundary Ferries

Cross-boundary ferry services link Hong Kong with about 20 Mainland ports and Macau. In 2002, the passenger throughput by this mode of transport totalled 18.6 million.

The Port

Hong Kong set a new record in its container throughput in 2002 by handling 19.1 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of containers, making it once again the

for the ninth time in the last 10 years. world's busiest container port

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About 437 000 vessels arrived in and departed from Hong Kong during the year. These vessels carried about 192 million tonnes of cargo and about 21 million passengers. Most of these passengers commuted on the world's largest fleet of high- speed ferries, including jetfoils and jet catamarans, to and from Macau and other ports in southern China.

Being the junction of two different forms of maritime transport the large ocean- going vessels from the Pacific Ocean and the smaller, coastal and river trade craft from the Pearl River — and the only modern, fully developed deep water harbour between Singapore and Shanghai, Hong Kong is the focal point of all maritime trading activities in southern China.

On an average day there are around 100 ocean-going ships working in the port; some 600 river trade craft entering or leaving the port; and many river ferries and local craft working in or passing through the harbour. Ship turnaround performance is among the best in Asia: container ships at terminal berths are routinely turned round in 10 hours or less, while conventional vessels working cargo at buoys are in port for only 1.2 days on average.

Port Development

Container handling facilities are a key part of the infrastructure in the logistics sector, one of the four pillar industries of Hong Kong. Matching the supply of port facilities with demand will ensure and facilitate economic growth for the community. To meet the growing demand, Hong Kong is building a new container terminal, Container Terminal 9 (CT9), on Tsing Yi Island opposite the eight existing terminals at Kwai

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