【明報專訊】HONG KONG'S PORT CONTAINER THROUGHPUT lost a top-ten spot in the world for the first time last year, according to the latest statistics released by an international shipping research institution. Over the past decade or so, Hong Kong's shipping industry has faced fierce competition, and its cargo throughput has fallen to one new low after another. In recent years, factors such as the Sino-US trade war and geopolitics have worsened the decline.
For a prolonged period of time, Hong Kong's container terminals were ranked first in the world in terms of throughput. As Reform and Opening Up on the mainland has continued to deepen and its port logistics boomed, Hong Kong's role as a shipping hub in the Pearl River Delta also changed. In 2004, Hong Kong became the world's number one container port for the last time with a throughput of 21.98 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) of containers. Its ranking has gradually declined since then. Hong Kong fell to ninth place last year, behind Shenzhen and Guangzhou. The Census and Statistics Department announced last month that for 2023 as a whole, the port of Hong Kong handled 14.4 million TEUs of containers, representing a 13.7% decrease over a year earlier and a new low in recent years. According to the estimate of Lloyd's List, an international media delivering shipping news, Hong Kong's port container throughput was ranked tenth last year, meaning that it still managed to occupy a top-ten spot. However, according to the latest statistics published yesterday by Alphaliner, an international research organisation of the shipping industry, Hong Kong fell out of the world's top ten for the first time since records began.
Shipping costs in Hong Kong are high, and its ports are much less automised than those on the mainland. People in the shipping industry say that many shippers now prefer to ship goods directly to the mainland rather than via Hong Kong. The three major global shipping alliances' significant adjustment of their routes might also have a detrimental impact on Hong Kong's shipping industry. According to the people in the industry, Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd, two major container shipping companies, have chosen Yantian, Shenzhen as one of the ports for export to Europe and the US. As a result, some of the throughput originally handled in Hong Kong might be transferred to Yantian. Orient Overseas has also disclosed recently that Ocean Alliance, of which it is a member, targets to improve on punctuality this year, therefore some shipping lines will skip Hong Kong. However, these adverse changes may indeed motivate Hong Kong's shipping industry to accelerate upgrading and transformation.
China is now a major shipping and shipbuilding nation. As a new shipping ecological chain is taking shape, this is undoubtedly a golden opportunity for Hong Kong. The Action Plan on Maritime and Port Development Strategy released by the Transport and Logistics Bureau at the end of last year also mentioned the development of high value-added maritime services, as well as the enhancement of Hong Kong's competitiveness through the construction of green and smart ports. Of course, no matter how ambitious the action plan is, it will simply be an empty talk if not put into practice. The government must strengthen the status and functions of the Hong Kong Maritime and Port Board. It must actively study specific measures, support the development of port business and promote the upgrading and transformation of terminal operators. At the same time, it must communicate more with other cities in the Greater Bay Area to promote complementary advantages and win-win cooperation among ports in the region.
明報社評2024.04.19：港口貨櫃吞吐跌出十大 航運業須加快升級轉型
國際航運研究機構公布最新統計，香港去年港口貨櫃吞吐量，首度跌出全球十大。過去十多年，香港航運業面對激烈競爭，貨運吞吐量拾級而下，近年更因為中美貿易戰、地緣政治等因素，跌勢進一步加劇。
曾幾何時，香港貨櫃碼頭吞吐量長居世界第一。隨着內地改革開放不斷深化、港口物流發展蓬勃，香港作為珠三角航運中樞港口的角色，也出現了變化。2004年，香港以2198萬個標準貨櫃吞吐量，最後一次成為世界第一貨櫃港口，之後排名徐徐下降，去年已跌至第9位，落後於深圳及廣州。政府統計處上月公布，2023年港口貨櫃吞吐量為1440萬個標準貨櫃，較前年下跌13.7%，寫下近年新低。若根據國際航運業媒體Lloyd's list的估算，本港港口貨櫃吞吐量去年位列第10，尚能保住「十大」，惟若根據國際航運界研究機構Alphaliner昨天公布的最新統計，香港最新排名已跌出十大，是有紀錄以來首次。
香港航運成本高，港口自動化程度亦遠遠不及內地。業界指出，不少出貨人都傾向在內地直接出貨，而非透過香港轉運，另外，全球三大航運聯盟早前大幅調整航線，也可能對本港航運業帶來不利影響。根據業界說法，兩大貨櫃航運公司馬士基（Maersk）和赫伯羅特（Hapag-Lloyd）選擇以深圳鹽田，作為輸往歐美的港口之一，部分原先在香港處理的吞吐量，或會轉移至鹽田。東方海外日前亦透露，其所屬的海洋聯盟今年以提升準班率為首要目標，部分航線不再停泊香港。然而這些不利變化，其實也可以是倒迫香港航運業加快升級轉型的動力。
中國現已是航運及造船大國。新的航運生態鏈正在形成，這對香港無疑是一個黃金機會。運輸物流局去年底發表的《海運及港口發展策略行動綱領》，也提到發展高增值海運服務，以及透過建設綠色智慧港口提升競爭力。當然，綱領內容再恢宏，若不切實付諸行動，不過是紙上談兵。政府須強化海運港口局的地位和功能，積極研究具體措施，支持港口業務發展，推動碼頭營運商升級轉型，同時亦要與大灣區其他城市加強溝通，促進區內港口優勢互補、合作共贏。
■ Glossary 生字 /
throughput : the amount of work that is done, or the number of people that are dealt with, in a particular period of time
detrimental : causing harm or damage
complementary : complementary things go well together, although they are usually different