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05 July 2005
For enquiries, please contact
the Corporate Affairs Department, tel.: (852)
2115 3861, email: cad@ModernTerminals.com.
Modern Terminals management will ensure
world-class facility and services at Dachan Bay
The National Development and Reform Commission
has given its approval for the development of
Phase I of Dachan Bay Container Terminals. The
Dachan Bay Terminals will be developed in phases
under a joint-venture agreement that provides
for Modern Terminals to hold 65% of its shares
and operate the facility, while the Shenzhen Municipal
Government will hold the rest of the shares.
Phase I is scheduled to come onstream in the
4th quarter of 2007. Its location in Bao¡¦an County,
Western Shenzhen ¡V 20 nautical miles north of
Hong Kong and 40 nautical miles south of Guangzhou
¡V as well as its excellent transport infrastructure,
will make it ideal for handling cargo passing
to and from key manufacturing areas in the eastern
part of the Pearl River Delta. It will also enjoy
convenient waterway links to the western side
of the PRD.
Covering a site area of 112 ha, Phase I will
have five berths, a total quay length of 1,830
m and a depth alongside of ¡V15.5 metres (which
will be increased later to ¡V18 metres). Its full
array of state-of-the-art container-handling equipment
will give it a designed capacity of 2.5 million
TEUs a year. A comprehensive range of container-related
services will also be provided within the port¡¦s
vicinity.
The management of Modern Terminals ¡V which has
over 30 years¡¦ experience in container terminal
operations in Hong Kong ¡V will ensure that Dachan
Bay Container Terminals will be a world-class
facility capable of handling the largest existing
and planned container vessels and delivering the
highest standards of customer service and productivity.
Our involvement in Dachan Bay is one element
in Modern Terminals¡¦ strategy to introduce new
terminal capacity in the PRD, including Hong Kong,
in a timely and optimal manner. Together we aim
to provide customers with alternative and timely
products in a large and dynamic market.
ICIS pilot test further enhances terminal
security
The entire world has become more security-conscious
since the 9/11 incident. The security of containers
and terminal facilities has become a particular
concern to the public since then; and there has
been regular media coverage about the risk of
attacks on the maritime transportation system.
These developments have increased awareness of
the issue among all the industry¡¦s stakeholders.
Besides offering its customers some of the world¡¦s
highest productivity levels, Hong Kong Container
Port has stepped up its efforts to provide security
regimes that meet ¡V or even exceed ¡V international
standards, as well as minimum statutory requirements.
In pursuit of this objective, the Hong Kong Container
Terminal Operators Association is sponsoring a
pilot test of Integrated Container Inspection
System (ICIS) units. ICIS combines optical character
recognition technology, radiographic imaging and
radiation scanning to screen containers, and helps
to answer the crucial question: ¡§What¡¦s inside
the box?¡¨
The test began in the second half of 2004. Two
ICIS units, a portal unit and a mobile unit, have
been installed at Modern Terminals, where they
screen every export container at the entry gate
area and the barge quay, respectively. A portal
ICIS unit has also been installed at HIT. The
test is progressing satisfactorily.
The key benefits of ICIS for the shipping community
are that it:
- Expedites the processing of containers by
capturing a complete set of data, which it provides
to the relevant authorities, thus enabling them
to fulfill their security duties more efficiently
- Helps inspectors to detect potential weapons,
and other hazardous, contraband and undeclared
goods hidden in containers, without the need
for manual inspection
- Targets high-risk containers more accurately,
and enables a higher percentage of them to be
inspected by customs
- Has the ability to scan containers while
they are loaded on moving vehicles, thus avoiding
any interruption to the smooth flow of traffic
or terminal operations
- Requires less time and fewer human resources
to identify and inspect containers than other
methods
- Enables the supply chain to resume operations
quickly after a security incident
Modern Terminals will continue to invest continuously
in cutting-edge security equipment and technologies.
We will also increase the number of our professional
security staff and enhance their training. Providing
and maintaining world-class security standards
will heighten the degree of security at its terminals,
thus strengthening Hong Kong Container Port¡¦s
competitive edge. More importantly, it will also
protect the safety and business interests of Modern
Terminals¡¦ customers and the entire shipping community.
A number of other South China container terminals
are now committed to following the lead that is
being established at Kwai Chung.
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