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

international shipping
Neil Russell, Chairman of Hong Kong Liner Shipping Association
which concentrates on operational and logistical issues for the many
lines it represents.
the opportunity to look at issues indepth
without having to have a huge
secretariat/' Mr Bowring said.
Associate members of the
organisation include major banks,
classification societies, maritime
lawyers, average adjusters, ship
agencies, shipbrokers, ship builders
and repairers, surveyors, insurance
brokers and Protection and Indemnity
(P&l) clubs. The process of opinion
forming is achieved through subcommittees
and working groups, with
the executive committee overseeing
the Association's operation.
The HKSOA has also been a
leading member of the seven-year old
Asian Shipowners Forum (ASF).
"We're very active in the forum itself
and have members on all the (ASF)
standing committees. By doing that
we're collecting opinions across Asia
on a lot of the issues and on how
these issues are affecting Asians,"
Mr Bowring said.
Despite the fact that Hong
Kong's Chief Executive Tung Chee
Hwa was a former Chairman of
the HKSOA in 1976-77, the
Association believes that the profile of
the shipping industry needs to be
raised in government circles.
"Shipping, by nature, is a very private
business normally run by private
individuals who have their own ships
— it's not necessarily a transparent
business," Mr Bowring said. 'The
association is hoping to increase the
awareness of people in Government
and the Legislative Council of what
we're trying to achieve."
The association is also
endeavouring to lift the international
profile of Hong Kong as a shipping
centre. "I don't think a lot of
people in the rest of the world
realise the amount of shipping
business that goes on in Hong
Kong," Mr Bowring said.
To achieve these goals, the HKSOA
is increasing efforts to collect data
and promote the Hong Kong
maritime sector. "We're keen on
promoting Hong Kong as an
inclusive centre and telling people
what we have to offer as a gateway
to Asia and the rest of China," Mr
Bowring said.
The return of Hong Kong to
Chinese sovereignty has seen the
HKSOA develop close links with
Beijing, with the association
meeting with the People's
Republic of China then Premier Li
Peng in November 1997, as well as
with the Minister of
Communications Huang Zhen
Dong. "The association had a
fantastic reception in
Beijing and we had this
wonderful feeling of
being part of the family,"
said Mr Bowring.
Enjoying 'the best of
both worlds', he
explained that concerns
over the return of Hong
Kong to Chinese
sovereignty have proven
unfounded. "Hong
Kong, as a part of
China, has unrivalled
access into Beijing and,
at the same time, Beijing
wants to keep Hong
Kong completely
autonomous and very international,"
Mr Bowring said.
The Hong Kong Liner
Shipping Association
PROVIDING a common voice for the
many shipping lines that call at the
Port of Hong Kong is the Hong Kong
Liner Shipping Association.
An active participant in industry
affairs since its founding in 1982, the
Liner Shipping Association counts
among its members over 90 percent
of all shipping lines and agencies
that are represented in Hong Kong.
The Association does not involve
itself in commercial issues such as
freight rate negotiations or the
determination of surcharges,
preferring to focus on operational
and logistical issues affecting all
shipping lines.
"The issue of the competitiveness
of Hong Kong is at the top of the
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