News Release

9th May 2016

Sustaining HIT’s Position as a Leading Transshipment Hub in South China


The accumulative barge throughput of Hongkong International Terminals Limited in 2015 (HIT) has topped 2 million TEU – the largest in the Pearl River Delta. And in setting a new handling record of 120 barges and 6,414 moves in a single day, HIT has reaffirmed its position as a leading transshipment hub in South China for Pearl River Delta cargoes.

These impressive statistics reveal an ambitious and meticulously-run operation that constantly strives to scale new heights. HIT is the only terminal operator in South China that deploys 4 barge quay cranes (“BQCs”) to enhance barge operational efficiency. With 2 BQCs working simultaneously, rather than having just one crane in action, productivity has jumped to 23 moves per hour and barge turnaround time has been greatly reduced by 50%.

With the close cooperation of HIT and the barge operators in the constant pursuit of new targets, barge efficiency and barge appointment success rate improved by 20% and 16% respectively in 2015.

Mr. Gerry Yim, HIT’s Managing Director, said: “We will continue to dedicate resources to equipment upgrades to further strengthen our regional competitiveness. At the same time we will work with stakeholders in expanding our network coverage in the Pearl River Delta so as to strengthen our status as a key port of call for barges and shipping lines.”

Mr. Yim also pointed out that HIT has been actively formulating thorough plans in response to global economic uncertainty and the impact of slow economic growth in South China. This preparedness will allow the company to confidently meet new challenges while it continues to benefit from Hong Kong’s free trade policies and the mainland’s cabotage rules.

To enhance cooperation with our stakeholders, HIT works closely with Guangdong Hong Kong Feeder Association to launch shuttle service and will offer priority berthing services to barge operators. Meanwhile, Asia Port Services Limited, a sister company of HIT, will provide ancillary services to facilitate the provision of a one-stop shop service for barge operators in Hong Kong. And to ensure better coordinated planning with barge operators, HIT will collaborate with OnePort to revamp the Common Barge Platform. Similarly it will optimise the HKiPort barge apps to streamline the work of barge operators and allow for better transparency of terminal operations.

With the success of 2015’s “BOXplus – Building Operations Excellence”, which was a 40-week efficiency enhancement study to optimise HIT’s resource use, HIT strives to further enhance the operational efficiency of barge operations. This will be achieved through integrating resources and streamlining operational processes to improve service delivery to stakeholders, and to strengthen HIT’s status as the leading transshipment hub in South China.