Hong Kong port operators call for additional berths

The Hong Kong Container Terminal Operators Association (HKCTOA) is urging the government to provide additional barge berths and back up land to “restore the competitiveness” of Hong Kong Port.

Container volumes fell by as much as 10% at the port last year and a prolonged decline has seen it fall from the busiest container port in the world in 2004 to just the fifth currently ranked by annual throughput.

Jessie Chung, chairperson of the HKCTOA, stated: “There is an urgent need for additional barge berths and back-up land for handling the high barge and transhipment volumes, which occupy space in the terminals for longer periods of time than truck based cargo.”