HK’s port cargo throughput rises 3% in 2007
March 19, 2008
The cargo throughput handled by Hong Kong in 2007 rose 3 percent year on year to 245.4 million tons according to the Census and Statistics Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government.
Within this total, inward port cargo recorded little change at 141.3 million tons, while outward port cargo grew by 8 percent to 104.1 million tons, the Census and Statistics Department said.
Total port cargo throughput in the fourth quarter rose 7 percent year on year to 65 million tons, within which inward cargo rose by 2 percent to 36.7 million tons, while outward port cargo added 13 percent to 28.3 million tons.
Source:Shanghai Daily
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Trade at Shanghai port up 20% in 1st two months
March 19, 2008
 Foreign trade in Shanghai port rose 20.3 percent year-on-year to 91.06 billion U.S. dollars in the first two months of 2008.
The figure accounted for 24.9 percent of the country’s total trade value of 365.93 billion U.S. dollars from January to February.
Exports climbed 17.2 percent, 20.7 percentage points lower than the period from a year earlier, to 58.59 billion U.S. dollars. Mechanical and electronics products accounted for around 60 percent of total exports.
Imports jumped 26.3 percent, 10.8 percentage points higher from the same period last year, to 32.47 billion U.S. dollars.
The surplus rose 7.6 percent to 26.12 billion U.S. dollars. The rate was 66.1 percentage points lower from a year ago.
Export growth slowed as the Spring Festival holiday and the strongest winter blizzards in five decades closed factories and disrupted transport. The government policies introduced last year to reduce surging surplus also contributed to the slower pace, as shown in the steel and garment sectors.
Imports, however, accelerated their pace as China bought more commodities and farm produce at higher prices. Through the Shanghai port 549,000 tons of agricultural products were imported in the two months, an annual increase of nearly 30 percent. Their average price was up 24.7 percent from a year earlier.
March 16 (Xinhua)
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Trade between China, Portuguese-speaking nations soars
March 18, 2008
 Trade volume between China and Portuguese-speaking nations in 2007 grew 36 percent over the previous year to 46.35 billion U.S. dollars, thanks to closer cooperation in various fields between the two sides.
While China’s gross domestic product (GDP) sustained a 10 percent growth in five consecutive years which led to ever ballooning consumption demands, the Portuguese-speaking nations, with a combined population of 230 million, also showed an evident market potential, therefore, the two sides can build on the cooperation and explore more investment opportunities.
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Hong Kong Airport Parking Management System, China
March 16, 2008
Hong Kong International airport (Chek Lap Kok) is one of the largest and busiest airport hubs in Asia. The airport was constructed on an artificial island off the north shore of Hong Kong’s main island Lantau, and has formed the basis for what is due to become an airport city, with attractions ranging from business parks to hotels, restaurants and cinemas to exhibition complexes and shopping malls. Hong Kong International will also accommodate railway and ferry services to function as a consolidated public transport gateway to the whole region. The name for the next stage of the airport development project is as impressive as the concept behind it, SkyCity.
When complete, the complex is expected to attract millions of locals and tourists every year and give a powerful boost to the region’s economy. With such a large complex in development a necessary key planning decision early on is car parking management. There are 2,500 parking spaces at the airport, spread over one long-term and two short-term parking facilities, named Car Park 1 and Car Parks 4 and 5 respectively.
CAR PARKS FOR THE SKY CITY
Aside from the existing passenger parking facilities, the areas to be equipped with Skidata systems for parking access and revenue control include SkyCity, which is nearing the completion of its first construction phase. SkyCity contains the AsiaWorld Expo, an international exhibition centre with a visitor car park offering 1,100 bays, as well as the extensive SkyPlaza business and shopping complex, which provides a 3,000-bay car park for visitors and customers.
“The system is optimised to give maximum revenue from the parking resources available at the airport and also uses various smart parking systems such as number plate recognition and RFID.”
SKIDATA SYSTEM
All functions and procedures at these new car parks, including all of the back-office tasks and control of interfaced third-party equipment (such as systems for traffic guidance and surveillance) may be accessed and managed from the central control room. This centralisation of the system saves costs and reduces reaction times in case a customer needs assistance or a system device develops a problem.
Payment may be made at the attended pay points or at any of the seven pay-on-foot machines placed at convenient locations throughout the complex. For Hong Kong airport the Skidata solution supports the use of the popular local Octopus card, an RFID-based contactless pay card, as well as VEP (VISA Express Payment).
HONG KONG PARKING SYSTEM ENHANCEMENTS
The new Skidata system for Hong Kong International airport will provide parking management and also support maximum airport security. The system is optimised to give maximum revenue from the parking resources available at the airport and also uses various smart parking systems such as number plate recognition and RFID (radio frequency identification). The system uses user friendly single slot payment technology which can handle a variety of ticketing formats.
The system is modular, allowing easy incorporation of new car parks and equipment into the system. In addition the Skidata REMCO software allows full remote control via a web-based interface over the parking management system. This is ideal for Hong Kong airport as the site covers such a wide area. REMCO gives full, round-the-clock centralised remote control web-based monitoring over all installations, with the option of automating/maintaining them as required. Errors and system events can be responded to immediately.
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Parking at the airport is a complex business. |
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Every car must be accounted for and every space as well to maximise the revenue. |
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The airport has a very well organised transportation infrastructure to deliver passengers from the car parks to the departure area. |
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A Skidata mechanised parking attendant. |
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The airport is a magnificent piece of engineering and will soon be almost a self contained city |
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Sinosteel sales jump 83%
March 6, 2008
State-owned Sinosteel Corp, China’s leading raw materials and service provider, said its 2007 sales increased 83 percent as the company restructured its business.
The company notched up 111.24 billion yuan ($15.34 billion) in sales last year and 180 percent profit growth, according to Huang Tianwen, president of Sinosteel.
Huang said the company is also preparing for an IPO. It plans to reinforce its resources development, trade and logistics, and engineering, science and technology, he said.
Sinosteel’s businesses cover metallurgical mining resources exploitation and processing, metallurgical raw materials and products, trade and logistics, and technical support and equipment manufacturing.
The company has increased its iron ore and chrome ore capacity, said Huang.
Last year, Sinosteel signed a deal with China’s largest steelmaker Baosteel, under which the two companies will boost cooperation on the supply of iron ore and chrome ore, ferroalloy and mining equipment.
The company is trying to accelerate its overseas development. It has developed iron ore and chrome ore resources in countries such as Australia, India and South Africa.
China Africa Development Fund’s debut investment deal in Africa, with more than $90 million, included Sinosteel projects.
China, which produces one-third of the world’s steel, will see 15 percent growth in iron ore imports for last year, industry insiders said.
In 2007, the country is expected to have imported 375 million tons of iron ore, an increase of 49 million tons from 2006, Luo Bingsheng, vice-chairman of the China Iron &Steel Association, told China Daily earlier.
China’s largest steelmaker Baosteel said Chinese steel companies are still in talks with the world’s three largest miners – Australia’s BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto and Brazil’s CVRD – on the iron ore contract price. The contract price has increased sharply for the last three years.
