Taiwan to set up a Shipping Affairs Administration in 2011
Wednesday, 04 Nov 2009
Taiwan Ministry of Transportation & Communications has planned to set up a Shipping Affairs Administration in 2011 to supervise the operations of four international harbor affairs firms to be transformed from the existing four major international harbor bureaus, thereby upgrading the competitiveness of Taiwan's major international harbors.
Mr Yeh Kuang shih, vice minister of transportation and communications, made the remarks at the transportation committee meeting of the Legislative Yuan.
During the legislative session, lawmakers doubted the justification of the government decision to build direct shipping links across the Taiwan Strait, as Kaohsiung Harbour, the island's largest international harbor, has been squeezed out of the world's top 10 harbors in terms of cargo loading and unloading volumes.
Lawmaker Mr Yang Jen fu of the ruling Kuomintang said that the cargo handling volume of the Kaohsiung Port has declined after cross-strait direct shipping links took effect, indicating that relatively weak competitiveness of the port.
Another KMT lawmaker Mr Lo Shu lei also said that the Kaohsiung port used to take the number 3 place in the world, and still maintained the number 6 spot in 2006, but the ranking dropped sharply to 12th in 2008, losing ground to ports in mainland China.
In response, Mr Yeh of the MOTC said that the decline in the world ranking of the Kaohsiung Harbour was due to several factors, including the economic downturn at home and abroad, and the exodus of Taiwan's manufacturing enterprises to mainland China.
He continued that the government will take advantage of the cross strait shipping links to reinforce ties with second tier ports of mainland China by building new shipping routes across the Taiwan Strait, thereby boosting cargo transshipment volume of the Kaohsiung Harbour and other international ports of the island.
Mr Su Chien jung, a division chief of the Kaohsiung Harbour Bureau, said that a new container terminal will be inaugurated in 2013, when four new wharves will be operational. The project is expected to significantly boost the cargo handling volume of the Kaohsiung port and generate an additional annual production value of TWD 39.47 billion.
