Thousands of US sailors arrived in Hong Kong yesterday aboard the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier strike group, eager for some R&R after months at sea.
It is the first call in Hong Kong by a US carrier group after Beijing's rejection of a visit by the USS Kitty Hawk in November.
'Things are proceeding very smoothly and going as normal,' said Dale Kreisher, assistant public affairs officer at the US consulate.
Mr Kreisher noted that the command ship USS Blue Ridge docked in Hong Kong in late January and that each year the city saw about 40 port calls by various US naval ships.
Sailors said clearance procedures had not taken longer than usual.
The USS Nimitz and its strike group, which includes the USS Princeton, Chafee, Higgins and John Paul Jones, has brought 7,000 sailors to the city for a few days.
They had not seen dry land since their last port call in South Korea, said petty officer Bob, 31, who would not provide his last name as he was not authorised to speak to the press.