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SCMP Reporter

CONTAINER throughput at Modern Terminals (MTL) hit a record high of 193,130 TEUs (20-foot equivalent units) in July.

  The number of vessel calls recorded by Hong Kong's oldest container terminal operator also set a new record of 201 in July.

   Throughput for the first seven months topped 1.1 million TEUs, a year-on-year growth of 17.5 per cent.

  The company attributed the surge to the express Pacific northwest service launched by South Korean carrier Hyundai Merchant Marine in March and increased feeder services between Hong Kong and China.

  In view of the robust increase in the first seven months, MTL has revised its growth forecast for this year from 12 to 16 per cent.

  MTL, which is 44.78 per cent owned by Wharf Holdings, handled more than 1.76 million TEUs last year, up 5.7 per cent over 1992.

  With an eye on the burgeoning cargo volumes needing to be transported to and from the rapidly industrialising Pearl River Delta area, MTL has been exploring ways to expand its operations into China.

  MTL managing director Mark Leese said discussions were under way with China Merchants Holdings (CMH) and other shareholders of the Shekou Container Terminals (SCT) with a view to MTL playing a major role in the development of container operations at Shekou.

  State-backed CMH is MTL's second largest shareholder and holds the development rights to the Shekou peninsula.

  MTL's existing facilities were complemented this year with the completion of two berths at Container Terminal 8 West (CT8) at the Kwai Chung container port.

  The company took delivery of all its land areas at CT8 from the contractors on August 15. Berth 4 was completed and handed over last month - six months ahead of schedule.

  The 58-hectare, four-berth terminal at Stonecutters Island is being jointly developed by MTL and COSCO-HIT, a joint venture between China Ocean Shipping Co and Hong Kong International Terminals.

  Built at a cost of $5 billion, excluding equipment, CT8 will add a much-needed 1.8 million TEUs to the container port's annual capacity - equal to 31 per cent of its total throughput last year.

  HIT, Hong Kong's largest container terminal operator, recorded a 27 per cent increase in throughput in the first six months.

  HIT, which is 77.5 per cent owned by Hutchison Whampoa, handled 3.5 million TEUs last year, up substantially from the 2.5 million boxes handled in 1992.

  HIT's existing facilities have also been complemented by the partial completion of its two berths at Terminal 8 East at Kwai Chung.

  Meanwhile, MTL is to change its mode of operations at its older terminals 1, 2 and 5 from straddle carriers (SCs) to rubber-tyred gantries (RTGs) chasis units.

  A pilot scheme for the mode change was successfully undertaken at terminal 5 between May and last month.

  Implementation at terminals 1 and 2 will take place in phases over a 28-month period, beginning in March.

  The change will be achieved by reconfiguring the terminal layout and segregating SCs and transtainer stacks.



MTL throughput hits record high