Hong Kong celebrates flag passing 40 million mark

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Hong Kong: The Marine Department and the Hong Kong Shipowners Association jointly hosted a luncheon and awards ceremony yesterday to celebrate the Hong Kong Shipping Register (HKSR) crossing 40 million gross tonnage (GT) mark.
The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Henry Tang, unveiled a Han Dynasty compass as a memento of the HKSR crossing the 40 million milestone. Also, Mr Tang presented an award to the ship "New Ansteel" that crossed the 40 million GT mark.
The Secretary for Transport and Housing, Ms Eva Cheng, who also attended the luncheon, presented awards to the ships that crossed the respective 37 million, 38 million and 39 million GT marks of the HKSR.
Noting that the day's gathering not only celebrated a milestone in the size of the HKSR but also the quality of Hong Kong-registered ships, the Director of Marine, Roger Tupper, said, "Our fleet of more than 1,300 vessels and 40 million tonnes is the largest of the nine flags worldwide whose high standard is recognised by being on the White Lists of the Paris MOU and the Tokyo MOU and also Qualship 21 in the USA." "We intend to continue our growth maintaining our focus on quality," Mr Tupper said.
The HKSR crossed the 40 million GT mark on January 15 with the registration of the 150,971 GT ore carrier "New Ansteel" owned by On Hing Shipping Limited. The HKSR is today one of the top five shipping registries in the world. [13/03/09]