ONE of the world's most intelligent ships was christened yesterday in Hong Kong, but there was a big touch of tradition too.
Guests invited to tour Hapag-Lloyd's Stuttgart Express, which is stuffed with computers and even has a machine to turn kitchen waste into fish-food, were amazed to find the corridor full of boxes of women's knickers.
And not just knickers - more than 100 boxes of socks, lipsticks, jeans, shirts and other similar stuff.
Because the Stuttgart Express was on its maiden voyage, the tiny crew of humans who look after the computers couldn't leave the ship, which meant that the hawkers who used to ply ships coming into Hong Kong were once again called into action.
Years ago, when a ship docked here it would be invaded by hawkers, who might lug their dozens of boxes of goods across to the ship in a junk and scramble with them up a rope ladder in the hope they'd be bought by the crew.
US and Royal Navy ships were also targeted by sea-going tailors, who would measure up the officers on-board, then return a few hours later with a suit, the start of Hong Kong's instant-suit industry.
