Marine Department, Hong Kong SAR - HKU Libraries - The ...

world's leading container port
The Asia Terminal Centre, operated by Sea-Land Terminals' subsidiary
Asia Terminals, is well-eqiiipped to handle freight operations
for the adjacent Terminal 3.
Sea-Land Orient Terminals have a 13 percent share of Hong Kong's
container handling market, and this looks set to rise with investment in
a new terminal to increase capacity.
Sea-Land Orient Terminals
SEA-LAND Orient Terminals (SLOT)
operates arguably the world's most
efficient container terminal,
handling more then one million
TEUs yearly despite the limitation of
a single berth.
A combination of high-tech
equipment, facilities and human
vigilance allowed SLOT to
accommodate 1.1 million TEUs in
1997, as an average of 20 vessels a
week called at Berth No. 3 of Hong
Kong's Kwai Chung Container Port.
Indeed such is the efficiency of its
handling operation that its 305
metre long berth — capable of
accommodating 5,500 TEU
capacity vessels with a draught of
1 2.2 metres — enjoys a 95 percent
utilisation rate 24 hours a day,
seven days a week.
SLOT's 1 7 hectare site is equipped
with 11 rubber-tyred gantry cranes,
14 bridge cranes and three quayside
gantry cranes which average 40
moves per hour, ensuring that it
takes SLOT just 10 hours to
load/discharge up to 1,200 TEUs
from a visiting vessel.
Located between the port's HIT
and MTL terminals, SLOT's facility
boasts a stacking capacity of 7,146
TEUs and a total yearly handling
capacity of 1.2 million TEUs.
High-tech computer systems and
EDI technology utilised at the
terminal include a Yard Inventory
Control System, a Vessel Stowage
System and a Gate System which
allows an average of 2,800 in-andout
transactions every 24 hours.
Container Freight Station
operations for Berth 3 take place in
the adjoining Asia Terminal Centre
— operated by SLOT subsidiary Asia
Terminals Ltd — which is equipped
with 94 receiving and loading bays.
SLOT also operates a container
storage and repair depot in South
Container Port Road, close to
Container Terminal 8, and utilises
the services of subsidiary Orient
Trucking Ltd (OTL) for onward
distribution by truck and barge to
destinations in Hong Kong and
mainland China.
OTL, which regularly operates
barges to Pearl River Delta ports,
currently has a fleet of 90 tractors
and 221 chassis based in Hong
Kong and nearly 100 tractors in
mainland China, used for carrying
out both cross-border trucking
operations and domestic services in
Guangdong Province in a jointventure
operations with Sinotrans.
Its comprehensive range of
services in Hong Kong has led to
SLOT capturing a lucrative 13
percent share of the regions
container handling market.
Managing Director Alan Y. Lee
said: "Our aim is simply to provide
the best possible service for our
customers. Hong Kong is the
gateway to Asia with vessels
calling at our facility primarily
serving the Asia-US, Asia-Asia
and Asia-Europe markets."
SLOT is determined to improve its
current facilities to ensure that it is
equipped to meet future demand by
participating in the investment of the
new HK$11 billion container
terminal (CT9) which will give Hong
Kong an additional holding capacity
of about 3.6 million TEUs
Its existing facility is exclusively
served by vessels operated by Sea-
Land, Maersk and the Tricon
Consortium (Choyang, DSR Senator,
Hanjin) shipping lines with cargoes
incorporating everything from
garments, electrical appliances and
waste paper to frozen vegetables.
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