Hong Kong transport chief outlines 10-point plan to boost global shipping hub status
Hong Kong's transport chief detailed 10 measures to enhance the city's global shipping hub status under its first five-year plan, including smart port upgrades, green fuel bunkering, and a new maritime college. The plan targets maintaining world-leading air cargo volumes and expanding flight routes
Hong Kong's Secretary for Transport and the Logistics Bureau on Wednesday outlined a comprehensive 10-point strategy to consolidate the city's position as a leading international shipping hub, as part of the territory's first five-year development plan. The measures aim to transform Hong Kong from a "tonnage port" into a "value port," aligning with national 15th five-year planning priorities.
The strategy includes promoting smart and green port transformation, advancing digitalisation, developing multimodal rail-sea-land-river connectivity, deepening port collaboration networks including a "sister port" relationship with Shanghai, establishing green corridors and bunkering hubs, and integrating financial services with maritime operations. A key highlight is the plan to establish a maritime college.
Hong Kong currently ranks among the world's top ports, with container ships spending just over one day at berth—half the global average for top 20 container ports. The Kwai Tsing Container Terminal recently set a record for handling over 8,300 moves from a single ultra-large vessel measuring nearly 400 metres with capacity exceeding 23,000 TEUs, demonstrating the port's efficiency.
On air cargo, Hong Kong International Airport retained its title as the world's busiest freight airport last year. The airport handled 5.86 million passengers in the first eight months of this year, up 3.5 per cent year-on-year. The five-year plan targets expanding global flight destinations from about 220 to 240 within five years.
The government is also pushing forward with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) development, targeting 1 to 3 per cent SAF usage for flights departing Hong Kong International Airport by 2030. A mandatory SAF usage ratio mechanism is expected to be completed by 2028. The administration is also developing a low-altitude economy ecosystem, having facilitated over 140 applications through its regulatory sandbox programme.
The transport chief said the bureau would continue to align with national strategies while maintaining Hong Kong's institutional advantages of being "backed by the motherland and connected to the world." The five-year plan includes specific targets across shipping, aviation, and transport sectors to ensure the city maintains its competitive edge.