HK Official Briefs Premier Zhu on HK's Logistic Developments

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, November 21, 2002

HK Official Briefs Premier Zhu on HK's Logistic Developments

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Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji went on a harbor cruise Wednesday morning to see several major infrastructure projects and economic enterprises that form an important aspect of Hong Kong's logistic developments.

Accompanied by the Chief Executive Tung Chee Hwa and other local officials, Zhu and his wife Lao An boarded the high speed craft, CKS Nan Hua, which cruised the Western Harbor.

The harbor cruise took them to the Kwai Chung Container Terminals, the impressive Tsing Ma Bridge and the site of Disneyland at Penny's Bay.

During the tour, Hong Kong Secretary for Economic Development and Labor Stephen Ip briefed Zhu on the strategic advantage of Hong Kong's port facilities, which, in 2001, handled some 178 million tons of cargo, making Hong Kong the world's busiest container port.

The premier was informed that Hong Kong has an excellent natural, deep and sheltered harbor at the mouth of the Pearl River,which is also strategically located on the Far-East trade routes, as well as the entrance to China's booming Guangdong Province.

In January to February this year, the port of Hong Kong handled some 26.4 million tons of cargo, including 2.6 million TEUs containers. During the period, more than 5,900 ocean-going vessels, some 17,100 cargo vessels and about 10,200 river passenger ferries called at Hong Kong.

In 2001, Hong Kong handled 17.8 million TEUs, of which 11.2 million TEUs were handled at the Kwai Chung Container Terminals. Operators at the Container Terminals are the most efficient in the world, with one operator setting a world productivity record of an average working rate of 336 moves per hour in February 2001, and another set a throughput record of 28,600 TEU per berth in a week last year.

Ip briefed Zhu that the Port Development Strategy Review has carried out and completed an update exercise to review the medium and long-term requirement of various port facilities.

The review concluded that the future development of the port and maritime sector should form part of the strategy to develop and promote Hong Kong as the preferred international and regional trade, transportation and logistics hub and a base for integrating supply chain management, Ip said.

Cruising around the impressive Tsing Ma Bridge, Zhu was given a briefing on one of Hong Kong's most prestigious landmarks which was built at a cost of around 7.2 billion HK dollars (923 million US dollars) and opened to traffic in May 1997.

The 2,160-meter-long Tsing Ma Bridge is the most outstanding element in the Lantau Link, which provides a direct access to the Hong Kong International Airport at Chek Lap Kok. The bridge has the world's longest bridge span carrying both road and rail traffic.

During the visit to the construction site of Disneyland at Penny's Bay, Zhu was informed that the Hong Kong Disneyland Phase One, occupying 126 hectares, is planned to open in 2005. This phase of the project will included a Disney theme park, two Disney theme resort hotels and shopping, dining and entertainment facilities.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government and the Walt Disney Company have formed a joint venture, Hong Kong International Theme Parks Limited, to develop and operate the Hong Kong Disneyland. The government will meet the costs of infrastructure, which was estimated to be 13.6 billion HK dollars.

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