​The Government promulgated the Action Plan on Maritime and Port Development Strategy today (December 20) to formulate strategies and action measures to support the sustainable development needs of the maritime and port industry in Hong Kong, with a view to enhancing the long-term competitiveness of the industry.
The Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Mr Lam Sai-hung, said, "With its superior geographical location, unique institutional advantages, free economic system and rich experience of international business and trade, Hong Kong is well-positioned to become the world's leading international maritime centre (IMC). Our target is to strengthen the competitiveness of Hong Kong Port and accelerate the growth of Hong Kong's high value-added maritime services cluster with a view to entrenching Hong Kong's status as an IMC."
The National 14th Five-Year Plan and the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area explicitly support the status of Hong Kong Port and the development of high value-added maritime services for better integration into the national development course. The Action Plan sets out 10 strategies and 32 action measures in four directions: enhancing port competitiveness; strengthening high value-added maritime services; enhancing promotion of Hong Kong maritime brand and grooming talent; and enhancing the support of the Hong Kong Maritime and Port Board (HKMPB), to consolidate and enhance Hong Kong's position as an IMC. To enhance the competitiveness of Hong Kong Port, the Transport and Logistics Bureau (TLB) will spare no effort in developing Hong Kong as a green and smart port. From the three aspects of "vessels", "cargoes" and "destinations", the TLB will holistically attract cargoes from around the world to make use of Hong Kong Port and collectively tackle the challenges in relation to the zero-carbon emission target of the global maritime industry. The relevant strategies and action measures are listed in the Annex.
"The Action Plan provides important and clear directions for the future development of the maritime and port industry in Hong Kong. We will, in collaboration with the HKMPB, work with stakeholders in the maritime and port industry to implement the strategies and action measures formulated in the Action Plan in phases. To ensure that the strategies can respond to the challenges and opportunities brought about by market changes, we will also continue to review the implementation progress of the relevant strategies and their effectiveness," Mr Lam continued.
The TLB has consulted the HKMPB and various stakeholders of the maritime and port industry to refine the maritime and port development strategies when formulating the Action Plan. The TLB expressed its deep appreciation to the HKMPB and industry players for their valuable views.
The Action Plan has been uploaded to the website of the TLB (www.tlb.gov.hk/eng/index.html).
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