Ship
Management and Maritime Operations
Endowed
with a deep-water, silt-free natural harbour
strategically located along a major sea route
and with the Chinese mainland providing a huge
cargo base, Hong Kong has become a sea transport
hub in Asia.
Advanced
port facilities and efficient port services
are complemented by excellent trade, financial
and other services which underpin Hong Kong's
status as the 10th largest trading entity in
the world. The port handles 80% of Hong Kong's
total external cargo volume. The shipping sector
employs more than 25,000 people, and generates
more than USD5bn in revenues annually.
Hong
Kong is the world's busiest container port,
and strong expansion of the southern China cargo
base is expected to provide long-term growth
of port traffic in Hong Kong, despite some diversion
of ocean-going transhipment cargo and the competition
from new ports in southern China.
Hong
Kong's port facilities are financed, built,
owned and operated by private firms. It is the
only major port not run by a port authority.
Container
throughput at Hong Kong was 14% lower in 2009
compared with 2005, but grew by 12.6% in 2010
to reach 23.7m TEUs (20-foot equivalent units).
Hong
Kong is a major ship owning and management centre.
Celebrating its 20th year in operation, the
Hong Kong Shipping Registry announced in October
2010 that gross registered tonnes (GRT) on the
HKSR crossed the 53.8 million gross tonnage
mark, up from 44.9 million gross tonnes in January
2010. At the time, the Hong Kong fleet comprised
of more than 1,600 ships, among which 1,541
were ocean-going cargo ships. This represented
growth of more than 50% since September 2007.
By
November 2011, the Hong Kong fleet had grown
further, to 1,928 ships representing gross tonnage
of 67.1 million tonnes.
In terms of tonnage, Hong Kong's merchant fleet
is ranked in the same league as Greece, Japan,
Norway, the US and China. The HKSR's high standards
have also been recognised internationally and
the registry is placed on the White Lists of
the Paris MOU and the Tokyo MOU, and also Qualship
21 in the USA.
An
increasing number of countries are seeking to
privatise their port operation and/or develop
new ports to be run on a commercial basis. An
exportable sea transport service from Hong Kong
is thus the development and management of ports
in the Chinese mainland and the wider region.
Hong Kong port operators are already active
in this field. For example, Hutchison Port Holdings
Group now owns, manages and operates container
terminals in the Chinese mainland, the UK, Netherlands,
Panama, Bahamas, Indonesia, Myanmar etc. It
is the biggest independent port operator in
the world, handling around 10% of the global
container traffic.
In
order to strengthen Hong Kong's position as
an international shipping centre, the government
has reduced merchant shipping registration fees
and annual tonnage charges by 50%. Other improvements
include simplifying the ship survey requirements,
computerising ship registration procedures,
negotiating double-tax agreements with major
trading partners and reducing the tax burden
on Hong Kong shipping companies. These measures
not only aim at building up Hong Kong's register
tonnage, but also to attract shipping companies
to set up operations in Hong Kong to manage
their ships. After 28 January 2000, Hong Kong-registered
ships paid lower dues when they call at mainland
ports.
Over
the past 50 years, the Hong Kong Shipowners
Association has grown into one of the world’s
largest Shipowner Associations, its members
owning, managing and operating a fleet with
a combined carrying capacity of over 110 million
deadweight tonnes.
Kai
Tak Cruise Terminal
The tendering exercise for Hong Kong's Kai Tak
cruise terminal project started in the fourth
quarter of 2007. Bidders were required to propose
a design that can provide flexible services
to different cruise operators.
The
terminal at the end of the former Kai Tak airport
runway will have two alongside berths capable
of accommodating the largest cruise vessels
in the world.
The
cruise terminal is being developed mainly under
two contracts. The first is the site formation
works contract, involving the construction of
berthing facilities of the cruise terminal.
The second is the cruise terminal building works
contract, including the customs, immigration
and health quarantine facilities and other supporting
facilities.
Site
formation works commenced in November 2009.
The first berth is expected to commence operation
in mid-2013. The second berth will be ready
for berthing medium-sized cruise vessels in
2014. After relocation of submarine gas mains
by the Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited
and the completion of the subsequent seabed
dredging, the second berth will be able to accommodate
mega cruise vessels in 2015.
Construction
of the terminal building commenced in May 2010.
The terminal building is expected to commence
operation in mid-2013. According to the Hong
Kong Tourist Commission, the terminal building
will be "iconic, highly functional and
efficient for providing world-class services."
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