ENG-2008 — Page 314

250 Transport

cross-boundary traffic among the existing boundary crossings in the eastern part of the territories (Man Kam To and Sha Tau Kok BCPs).

Cross-boundary Ferries

Cross-boundary ferry services to about 13 Mainland ports and Macao are provided by eight operators at the Hong Kong-Macao Ferry Terminal in Sheung Wan, the China Ferry Terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui and the Tuen Mun Ferry Terminal. The number of cross-boundary travellers using these services to travel to and from Mainland ports totalled 5.4 million, and the number to and from Macao was 18.6 million in 2008.

The Port

In 2008 Hong Kong handled a total 24.5 million Twenty-foot Equivalent Units of containers (TEUS), maintaining its status as the largest container port serving southern China and one of the busiest ports in the world.

Some 435 400 vessels arrived in and departed from Hong Kong during the year, carrying 260 million tonnes of cargo and about 27 million passengers. Most of these passengers commuted on a highly efficient fleet of high-speed ferries, including jetfoils and jet catamarans, to and from Macao and ports on the Mainland, making Hong Kong a port with one of the world's largest number of high speed craft.

Hong Kong is a modern, well equipped deep-water port serving two main types. of maritime transport large ocean-going vessels from all parts of the world and the smaller, coastal and river-trade vessels from the Pearl River. Hong Kong is the focal point of all maritime trading activities in the region. On an average day there are around 100 ocean-going vessels working in the port; nearly 500 river-trade vessels 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 the world: container ships at terminals are routinely turned around in about 10 hours.

Port Development

Container handling facilities are a key part of the infrastructure of the logistics sector, one of the four pillar industries of Hong Kong. The nine container terminals at the Kwai Chung-Tsing Yi area have 24 berths with a total handling capacity of over 19 million TEUS per year.

Competition between the container terminals and alternative modes of container handling motivates the operators to improve their efficiency and quality of service. The investment in upgrading equipment and systems in the terminals at Kwai Chung-Tsing Yi over the past few years has enabled the port to enhance its productivity, as well as to handle the world's largest container ships.

The container port is vital, not only for Hong Kong, but also for southern China - one of the fastest industrialising areas in the world. Over 70 per cent of container traffic handled by Hong Kong is related to southern China.