Hong Kong Shippers Council: Fix harbour congestion ahead of peak season

THE Hong Kong Shippers Council has demanded that local terminal operators deal with current harbour and dock congestion ahead of the vital peak shipping season.

But Hong Kong terminal operators say there is land to fix the problem, but the Hong Kong Transport and Housing Bureau (THB) is unwilling to let it go as it wants it for warehousing that port operators say I not needed.


"Use of the port backup land around Kwai Tsing is by far the most important measure required to achieve to enhance the competitiveness of Hong Kong Port," said Alan Lee, chairman of Hong Kong Container Terminal Operators Association (HKCTOA)in an article last year in the Hong Kong Shipping Gazette`s sister publication, The Container Shipping Manager.


Mr Lee said he was mystified with the government`s decision to sell a piecemeal 34 hectares of valuable land around Kwai Tsing Port to build warehouses rather than continue to use it as container storage to keep the port competitive.


But Hong Kong Shippers Council president Sunny Ho is more interested in the here and now: "Terminal operators must deal with this problem before the peak of peak season and before there is an emergency like a typhoon, when the situation would be chaotic."


Congestion, especially in Hong Kong International Terminals (HIT), has become worse with Guangdong and Hong Kong Feeder Association member company vessels suffering seven-day delays, cutting up to a half the voyages usually done in a month.


Said Mr Ho: "Transshipment cargo must come in by barge, be unloaded, taken to the yard stacked and eventually delivered to the quay - this has complicated operations. Also, the major problem is that there are not enough barge berths.


"Shippers started to experience congestion and delays two months ago, when trade volumes started to grow. Shippers have experienced delays in receiving inbound cargo and truck and barge operators have complained that they are queuing up for a long time," he told London`s Containerisation International.


HIT told London`s Lloyds List that it was continuing discussions with Hong Kong Government about allocating land sites on Kwai Tsing and Kwai Chung in order to be used as a back up for container port operations, which would then help the barge berth shortage being experienced."