1  180 hectares of sea would be lost to terminal
Cheung Chi-fai, SCMP 12 July 2008

Up to 180 hectares of sea would be reclaimed off southwest Tsing Yi Island and the coastline straightened to build the proposed Container Terminal 10, which would occupy an area larger than that of the combined existing nine terminals, according to a project profile. .

The proposed reclamation, which falls outside the scope of the Protection of the Harbour Ordinance, would be the largest on the fringes of Victoria Harbour in recent years.

In the profile sent to the Environmental Protection Department yesterday, the Civil Engineering and Development Department said a further 130 hectares of land would also need to be formed on Tsing Yi.

Some of the extra land would be provided through the release of sites occupied by oil depots, with all or some perhaps being relocated elsewhere on Tsing Ti to free up to 58 hectares.

Shipyards and dockyards operating in the area would also be affected by the project.

The combined 310 hectares, including berths, essential infrastructure and probably sites for depot relocation, would exceed the 275 hectares, providing 24 berths, now occupied by terminals one to nine.

At least eight 400-metre-long berths would be provided at Container Terminal 10, to be developed under a fast-track programme, with a feasibility study scheduled to be completed by early 2011.

The department said in the profile that development of the new terminal would result in a number of factors affecting the environment, which would be addressed in a forthcoming assessment. It said the reclamation might change harbour currents.

The dispersal of treated effluent from the city's largest sewage treatment works on Stonecutters Island might also be affected.

The terminal could also have an undesirable visual impact in Ma Wan in northeast Lantau and on Victoria Harbour.

As the terminal was likely to attract more trucks and shipping to Kwai Tsing, the air quality impact would be minimised by sufficient separation of major roads and the use of cleaner marine fuel.

Friends of the Earth director Edwin Lau Che-feng urged the government to clarify whether there was a pressing need for such a large terminal, given the intense competition for cargo from the mainland.

"Do we really need such a large-scale port through sea reclamation that people tend not to welcome? The government should not just treat it as a single project which is bound to aggravate many existing environmental problems," he said.

Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah said earlier this year the Tsing Yi site would be preferred over a northwestern Lantau site.