ENG-2020 — Page 266

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Transport

Government Fleet and Dockyard

A fleet of more than 900 government vessels serves 14 government departments. The Marine. Department manages 82 of these vessels to serve its port operations and the needs of other government departments. These vessels include patrol launches, purpose-built conveyance launches, pontoons, hydrographic survey launches and explosives carriers. In 2020, the department also contracted 30 vessels, including conveyance launches and tugboats.

The Government Dockyard, managed by the department's Government Fleet Division, is responsible for the design repair and maintenance of all government vessels. It occupies a 9.8-hectare site on Stonecutters Island and has an 8.3-hectare sheltered water basin to moor vessels. There are 10 covered docking sheds, four movable canopies, 30 open-yard docking cradle spaces, a shiplift system and three ship-hoists capable of dry-docking vessels of up to 750 tonnes.

During the year, 94 new craft costing $174 million were built for the government. Ten new craft building contracts, worth $173 million, were awarded to shipbuilders. The expenditure in maintaining the Government Dockyard facilities and government fleet was close to $627 million.

Air Transport

Hong Kong is a major international and regional aviation centre. In 2020, around 120 airlines operated direct services between Hong Kong and over 200 destinations worldwide.

Hong Kong International Airport

In 2020, air travel was greatly impacted by COVID-19 as travel restrictions and quarantine measures were imposed worldwide. During the year, Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) handled 8.8 million passengers and 160,655 flights, a drop of 87.7 per cent and 61.7 per cent respectively as compared to 2019. However, air cargo operations remained resilient amidst the pandemic. HKIA recorded a cargo throughput of 4.5 million tonnes, a year-on-year drop of 7 per cent, while freighter movements surged 18.3 per cent to 68,660.

In response to the pandemic, an array of infection control measures was taken at HKIA to protect the health of passengers and staff. Cleaning and disinfection were stepped up airport- wide. Smart technology such as autonomous cleaning and sterilisation robots were deployed. Antimicrobial coating and disinfection channels were also set up. The Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) supported the government's quarantine and related procedures for arrival passengers. To support the hard-hit aviation sector during the pandemic, the government and AAHK jointly provided several rounds of relief measures to the airport community.

HKIA's major development and infrastructure projects continued as planned, including the Three-Runway System, upgrading of various airport facilities, and the Sky Bridge to connect Terminal 1 and North Satellite Concourse.

Future Development

To maintain Hong Kong's competitiveness as a global and regional aviation hub, AAHK is undertaking a Three-Runway System project for commissioning in 2024. This includes the

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