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24 January
2005
For enquiries, please contact
the Corporate Affairs Department, tel.: (852)
2115 3861, email: cad@ModernTerminals.com.
Facilities
upgrade to boost capacity and productivity
Work is underway
on a HK$1+ billion project that will comprehensively
upgrade our facilities at Container Terminals
1, 2 and 5 (CT125). Our goals are to boost our
total throughput capacity by up to 25 per cent,
by enhancing our productivity and efficiency to
meet current and future customer requirements.
The project will also support the recommendation
of the Government-commissioned Hong Kong Port
Master Plan 2020, which is to improve existing
operations at Kwai Chung Port before constructing
additional terminals.
CT125 were originally
designed and built around 30 years ago with an
alongside draft of -12.2 metres mCD and 13-across
quayside cranes (QC) to cater for the 2,500-TEU
container vessels then in use. The quay decks
were upgraded in 1997 to accommodate larger vessels
and QC loading; and the berths were deepened to
-14 metres mCD in 2003 to align them with the
alongside draft of the initial phase of Rambler
Channel dredging for Container Terminal 9 (CT9).
Even so, we intend to enhance the standards of
our CT125 facilities, so they match those of our
new berths at CT9 (South) -- and meet the needs
of the increasingly large container vessels now
being constructed. Plans have already been drawn
up for even bigger vessels that carry over 12,000
containers in the future, the water depth alongside
of CT125 will be dredged to -15.5 metres mCD.
To keep pace
with demand, at CT125 we will deploy six new quayside
gantry cranes (QCs) with an outreach capability
of 22 boxes across a ship¡¦s deck; four more such
mega-cranes will also be installed at CT9 (South).
We will convert the existing, obsolete rail-mounted
gantry crane (RMG) stacking area into an RTG yard
with the capacity to stack containers six high.
Other terminal equipment is being rationalized;
and the quay deck is being strengthened to accommodate
heavier cranes and higher mooring/berthing loads.
The yard layout, gatehouses and workshop are all
being reconfigured.
The upgrade
project is scheduled for completion in 2005 and
2006. As a result, CT125 will be able to handle
the new generation of ultra-large vessels. They
will also have sufficient yard area, stacking
capacity and equipment to satisfy customers¡¦ needs
for quayside productivity of 150-200 moves per
hour.
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Hong
Kong maintains competitive edge in 2004
Modern
Terminals handled 4,350,000 TEUs during
2004 ¡V just under 10 ¡Vper cent more than
the 2003 throughput figure. This represents
a good performance, considering the very
competitive market conditions last year
and the high figure for 2003. The entire
South China market grew by about 4 million
TEUs in 2004; about one third of this increase
was handled by Hong Kong, thus demonstrating
our improved competitiveness.
Several
inefficient regulatory barriers governing
trucking arrangements between Hong Kong
and Guangdong Province have resulted in
cost disadvantages to Hong Kong. These include
the ¡§four-up-four-down rule¡¨; high licensing
fees levied on Hong Kong trucks by the Guangdong
authorities; and strict licensing rules
that allow only one Hong Kong truck driver
to be registered under each cross-boundary
license. The reported relaxation of the
¡§four-up-four-down rule¡¨ on 1 January 2005
is a good sign that progress is starting
to be made on measures that will improve
Hong Kong¡¦s competitiveness. If the Hong
Kong and Guangdong governments continue
to cooperate in resolving such issues, a
level playing field will develop. Hong Kong
can then expect to share the growing throughput
with the Shenzhen ports, and this will benefit
all concerned.
We are
entering 2005 in an optimistic mood. We
are ready to meet the challenges of the
future, through our facilities improvement
project (see article above) as well as other
optimization measures that will boost Hong
Kong¡¦s total throughput capacity in the
coming years from the present 19 million
TEUs to 24 million TEUs.
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Helping
the tsunami victims
Modern Terminals
made a cash donation to UNICEF to help the victims
of the huge tsunami that hit many areas of South
Asia on 26th December 2004. We are also encouraging
our staff to make individual contributions for
the many people affected by the catastrophe.
At the
same time, we are waiving container-handling charges
for urgently needed relief supplies being shipped
via our terminals to the devastated regions.
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