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8 July
2004
For enquiries, please contact
the Corporate Affairs Department, tel.: (852)
2115 3861, email: cad@ModernTerminals.com.
Modern Terminals Tops-out New CT9 Main Office
Building
On 2nd July, Modern Terminals cracked open a barrel of sake to celebrate the topping-out of its new Main Office Building at Container Terminal 9 (CT9).
The building will form the hub of the company's entire CT9 operation. It will have seven storeys and a ground floor area of 5,800 square metres; and it will incorporate a wide range of state-of-the-art characteristics, including advanced technology and environmentally friendly features. It will house management and operations offices, as well as a number of support functions and amenities.
CT9 is the largest single infrastructure project ever undertaken at Hong Kong Container Port. Modern Terminals will own and operate four out of its six berths. The company has up to date taken delivery of three berths there. The remaining berth will become operational later this year. The completion of CT9 will increase Modern Terminals' total container-handling capacity to 5.5 million TEUs a year.
In his speech at the ceremony, Modern Terminals' Managing Director, Mr. Erik BØgh Christensen, paid tribute to the building's consultant, Scott Wilson, and its contractor, Penta-Ocean, for their magnificent efforts to ensure its timely completion, and the high quality of their work.
He added that his team looks forward to moving into the new building, which is scheduled to become operational in early 2005 . The company will use it to facilitate the provision of the world's most efficient container handling services, in order to fulfil its mission to exceed the expectations of its customers.
Erik BØgh Christensen (second from right) and John Lee (left), Managing Director and Director ˇV Corporate Development of Modern Terminals, Mr. Keiji Furihata (second from left), General Manager of Penta-Ocean and Dr. Martin Kwong (right), Chairman of Scott Wilson, break the sake barrel to celebrate the topping-out of Modern Terminals' new Main Office Building at Container Terminal 9.
Integrated Container Inspection Systems to be Pilot-run
Security is always high on the Modern Terminals list of priorities. Following confirmation that all its facilities comply with the International Maritime Organization's International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code, which came into effect on 1 st July, the company will participate in a six-month pilot study using two models high-tech Integrated Container Inspection Systems (ICIS) to screen every container that arrives at its entry gate and quayside barge facility.
Provided by a US company, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), ICIS will perform radiographic imaging, radiation scanning and containers identification of all containers entering Modern Terminals from September onwards. This system has the potential to improve the ability to target high-risk containers for further inspection by identifying differences from expected contents. Data gathered by the system may provide Customs authorities and other relevant parties worldwide with comprehensive, integrated scanning data on every export container.
The ICIS at the entry gate will scan containers as they pass through the entry gate on their trucks at speeds up to 16 km/h; thus avoiding any significant delays to traffic flow. A mobile ICIS system will also be developed to screen transhipment and export containers as they enter the terminal by barge. The mobile unit can be moved quickly for use anywhere in the terminal.
Announcing the pilot scheme, Modern Terminals' Managing Director Erik BØgh Christensen said that the company is committed to taking proactive measures to enhance security in the face of possible terrorist-related activities. ˇ§As much of our throughput is destined for the United States and Europe, our dedication to such strategies is also of paramount importance to the competitiveness of the Port of Hong Kong,ˇ¨ he added.
Modern Terminals Signs Contract for Next-generation
Terminal Management System
Modern Terminals and Total Soft Bank (TSB) have signed a contract to develop and implement a next-generation terminal management system, the Modern Terminals Operations System (MOTOS), at existing and future terminal facilities.
The upgraded system optimizes the planning and operations functionality of the company's day-to-day container terminal management activities, enabling it to provide faster and better services to customers and business associates.
The new solution will also enable Modern Terminals to manage its operations in both Hong Kong and Mainland China at a single location, and maintain better control over its human and IT resources.
Erik BØgh Christensen (left), Managing Director of Modern Terminals, presents a souvenir to Mr. J. S. Choi (right), Chairman of Total Soft Bank, during a contract-signing ceremony for the Modern Terminals Operations System (MOTOS) .
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