bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

SCMP Reporter

YIU Lian Dockyards has sealed an agreement to buy a floating dock with a lifting capacity of 8,500 tonnes as part of its expansion programme.

  Mr Yang Shi-lan, deputy general manager of Yiu Lian - a wholly owned subsidiary of China Merchants Holdings - said the floating dock was part of a package deal that included a floating crane with a 100-tonne lifting capacity, a 1,200-horsepower tugboat and three barges.

  ''We have officially asked the Marine Department to grant us a site,'' he said, adding that Yiu Lian had made an application for the site in mid-June last year.

  He added that Yiu Lian would put the 1985-built floating dock to work immediately after getting a site.

  The floating dock, which has an overall length of 155 metres, is the shipyard's fourth floating dock.

   Yiu Lian's No 1 floating dock has a 12,000-tonne lifting capacity, No 2 floating dock a 12,500-tonne lifting capacity, and No 3 floating dock a 36,000-tonne capacity.

  Mr Yang, who declined to disclose the purchase price for the No 4 floating dock or identify its previous owner, said it was self-contained and had additional equipment such as diesel generators.

  He pointed out that as Hongkong was short of floating docks and slipways, the addition of this floating dock to its fold would enable the company to meet the growing demand for repairs from small and medium-size vessels and dredgers doing reclamation work in the territory.

  Mr Yang said reclamation work at Yiu Lian's shipyard in Shekou and construction of 300 metres of the 651-metre berth had already been completed.

  The completed portion of the berth would be equipped with cranes which would arrive next month, he said.

  The shipyard would be fully operational when the remaining portion of the berth was completed in August, he added.

  The Shekou shipyard had so far carried out annual repairs on eight vessels and voyage repairs on 73 vessels, including three foreign ships, Mr Yang said.

  He was optimistic that the Shekou shipyard would attract more business through its competitive rates, which were comparable with prices offered by some shipyards in former east European countries.

  As Hongkong's labour costs increased each year, the boost in productivity could not match wage increases, he said.

  Mr Yang hoped the Government would relax its rules on importing foreign labour, to help the industry lower its operating costs.

  ''We are optimistic about 1993, although the shipping market has been declining since the middle of last year,'' Mr Yang said. ''Our optimism is based on the rapidly growing Chinese economy and Hongkong's good geographical location.''   More vessels belonging to China's national shipping line, China Ocean Shipping Co (COSCO), were turning to Chinese shipyards for repairs, but the line was still one of Yiu Lian's major customers, he said.

  Mr Yang said Yiu Lian had recorded a 25 per cent growth in foreign vessel turnover last year compared with 1991.

        He attributed the business growth to Yiu Lian's marketing network worldwide.



Yiu Lian to buy its fourth floating dock