HK Maritime Week shows city's good stories, unique strength

As one of the celebration events for the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the sixth edition of Hong Kong Maritime Week (HKMW) will be held from Nov 20-26 and form part of a continuing, and growing, series of major events in Hong Kong designed to tell the world that "Asia's World City" is back to business stage and back to normal, in an orderly manner.
 

HKMW will feature a dynamic schedule, from in-depth themed conferences and seminars to industry visits, tours, as well as an orienteering race. Through a packed week of events, the Hong Kong Maritime and Port Board (HKMPB) as the organizer, together with the Hong Kong Shipowners Association and the Hong Kong Maritime Museum as the co-organizers, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and Invest Hong Kong as the partners, will update the participants about the encouraging development in the Hong Kong maritime scene, unite and showcase the Hong Kong maritime industry as a strong cluster, raise the community's awareness of the economic contributions of Hong Kong's maritime and port industries, and promote Hong Kong as a preferred base for maritime business.
 

The Asian Logistics, Maritime and Aviation Conference (Nov 22-23), the signature event of HKMW, will examine the importance of building connectivity, fostering collaboration and driving innovation in creating a sustainable future for the industry and global trade development. It will also spotlight opportunities arising from the latest development in the Belt and Road Initiative and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, as well as Hong Kong's unique positioning and strengths in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
 

This year, renowned maritime organizations will serve as support organizations to promote this flagship maritime event in Hong Kong, which include the Asian Shipowners' Association, the Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO), the China Maritime Law Association, the China Shipowners' Association, Comite Maritime International, the Hong Kong Maritime Law Association, the International Chamber of Shipping, Maritime London, and the London Maritime Arbitrators Association. Over 40 events are to be organized to advance key industry issues and exchange ideas to bring the sector forward. For further information on HKMW, please browse its website (www.hkmw.hk/en/index.html).
 

I took over the helm of the HKMPB this July and am glad to learn that HKMW has been well-received by the trade, both locally and internationally.
 

The shipping industry has been facing unprecedented challenges in the past two years, including the COVID-19 pandemic, global supply-chain disruptions, rising pressure from global inflation and growth slowdown, and the need for sustainable development.
 

Despite the challenges faced, I am confident that our shipping industry can scale new heights against all odds. As the saying goes, "The strongest storms make the best sailors. The strongest games make the best players."
 

The Hong Kong SAR government is committed to promoting Hong Kong's position as an international maritime center. Recent achievements from external promotion work include the International Chamber of Shipping's establishment of its first overseas office in Hong Kong in 2019, and BIMCO's decision in 2020 to name Hong Kong as one of its four recognized arbitration venues, which represent joint efforts in promotion by the government and the trade in Hong Kong.
 

With its 150-year maritime history and its unique advantages under "one country, two systems", Hong Kong has established itself as the premier international maritime center, supported by a vibrant maritime cluster providing comprehensive and quality maritime services.
 

Leveraging on our traditional strengths, the HKSARG has introduced a wide range of measures for further advancement of our maritime sector to facilitate both local and overseas companies with a presence in Hong Kong to tap into these enormous business opportunities. In particular, the HKSARG will actively pursue the smart-port and green-port initiatives to support the port development and improve port efficiency. We will also proactively develop and entrench Hong Kong's position as a high value-added maritime services center and an important transshipment hub in the Asia-Pacific region. These will go along our all-time efforts in manpower development and overall industry promotion.
 

On fostering high value-added maritime services, including ship registration, ship finance, ship management, marine insurance, and maritime legal and arbitration services, etc, the HKSARG introduced new tax concessions for ship agents, ship managers and shipbrokers in July 2022 on top of our existing preferential regime for ship-leasing companies and ship-leasing managers.
 

Furthermore, to enhance services for owners of Hong Kong-registered ships residing abroad, we have set up regional desks of the Hong Kong Shipping Registry in regions which are frequently visited by Hong Kong flagged ships, including London, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney, San Francisco, Tokyo and Toronto, since 2019. With more than 2400 ships that aggregate some 128 million gross tonnage, the Hong Kong Shipping Registry is the fourth largest registry in the world in terms of gross tonnage.
 

The HKSARG will continue to work hand in hand with the industry to keep Hong Kong shining in the international maritime arena.
 

The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

Source: China Daily

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