The nation’s largest land reclamation project in a commercial sea port has been completed after nine years of construction, Taiwan International Ports Corp announced yesterday.
The Port of Kaohsiung Intercontinental Container Terminal Phase II project was launched in March 2011 to address the challenges facing the port and help it respond to the rapid changes in the global shipping sector, the company said.
The project has expanded the port’s hinterland, which would streamline container terminal operations, it said, adding that the added area would enable the construction of new deep-water berths for large container vessels.
It also opens up new opportunities for investments by manufacturers, the company said.
The reclaimed land covers 422.5 hectares, about 16 the size of Taipei’s Daan Forest Park (大安森林公園), it said, adding that the project also includes a 6.81km-long outer breakwater.
The reclaimed land would be used to build a warehousing logistics center, a container terminal and a bulk carrier terminal, the company added.
Nineteen new deep-water wharves — five berths that can service mega-container vessels, 10 for petrochemical ships and to accommodate bulk cargo vessels — would also be built, it said.
The project cost NT$112.5 billion (US$3.75 billion), with NT$26.9 billion from the government, the company said, adding that the remainder was funded by private investors.
As the project is also the nation’s largest marine engineering project over the past few decades, construction followed the principle of sustainability, the company said, adding that it has launched key water and ecological protection and conservation initiatives through the project.
The company said that it has signed long-term contracts and leased part of the reclaimed land to CPC Corp, Taiwan, and other petrochemical companies.
To further solidify the Port of Kaohsiung as a key western Pacific shipping hub, the port company said it has signed a long-term contract with Evergreen Marine Corp, which would lease the container terminal.
The port company said it has yet to find tenants for the bulk carrier terminal.
“We hope the project will enhance our modern container ship handling and logistics capabilities,” it said.
It made significant progress in restoring and repurposing the port’s old harbor area, the port company said, adding that it would soon relocate bulk carriers from the port’s Zhongdao Wharf to the new bulk cargo carrier terminal.
This would free up land surrounding Zhongdao Wharf for more lucrative ventures that would help increase the port’s revenue, it said.
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
President William Lai (賴清德) has appointed former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to attend the late Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican City on Saturday on his behalf, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. The Holy See announced Francis’ funeral would take place on Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square. The ministry expressed condolences over Francis’ passing and said that Chen would represent Taiwan at the funeral and offer condolences in person. Taiwan and the Vatican have a long-standing and close diplomatic relationship, the ministry said. Both sides agreed to have Chen represent Taiwan at the funeral, given his Catholic identity and
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if the next president of that country decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said today. “We would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said during a legislative hearing. At the same time, Taiwan is paying close attention to the Central American region as a whole, in the wake of a visit there earlier this year by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Lin said. Rubio visited Panama, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Guatemala, during which he
RSS