The week-long HKMW 2022, organised by the Hong Kong Maritime and Port Board (HKMPB) from November 20 to 26, promotes to the globe Hong Kong as a preferred base for maritime business through a series of activities. The event also raises the community’s awareness of the economic contributions of Hong Kong’s maritime and port industries.
The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, said in a pre-recorded speech at the opening ceremony, “The National 14th Five-Year Plan champions Hong Kong’s status as an international shipping centre. That includes the development of high-value-added maritime services for better integration into our country’s overall progress and, more specifically, Hong Kong’s place in the development of a world-class port cluster. In my Policy Address last month, I stated that we will fully capitalise on our position as a high-value-added maritime services centre and an important transshipment hub in the Asia-Pacific region.”
Officiating at the opening ceremony, the Chairman of the HKMPB and the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Mr Lam Sai-hung, said, “It is of the utmost importance to keep the maritime cluster vibrant. The Government will continue to take proactive measures to fuel the development of the maritime industry. Some examples include implementing tax concessions for shipping enterprises, the smart port initiative, and new schemes for maritime manpower development. At the same time, we will always take advantage of community efforts to tell our good stories and showcase Hong Kong’s unique strengths. There is no better opportunity to do so than the HKMW.”
A number of signature activities of HKMW 2022 are worth highlighting. The international Asian Logistics, Maritime and Aviation Conference comes with the theme “The Future of the Sustainable Supply Chain: Connectivity．Collaboration．Innovation”. HKMW Orienteering Race 2022 is a prized competition in which participants have to reach multiple designated locations within a time frame of four hours and be tested with quizzes on maritime knowledge to win prizes. Mare Forum, an international maritime event organiser, and Seatrade Maritime News, a media outlet specialising in maritime news, will respectively hold webinars to deliberate with the industry on topics such as high-value-added maritime services and maritime technology in Hong Kong. The Economist Impact will also chair a seminar entitled “World Ocean Summit Asia-Pacific Insight Hour”, engaging practitioners to share their views on the progress and plans of the maritime industry as well as their insights on global trends, variations and strategies of decarbonisation.
Some 40 more activities, organised by local, Mainland and international marine institutes in support of HKMW 2022, will also take place seven days in a row. The themes range from building up the maritime talent pool, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area development, education and careers, green shipping, maritime technology, ports and logistics, shipping and maritime to high-value-added services such as marine insurance, maritime law and arbitration, ship finance and ship management.
HKMW is in its sixth edition this year. Co-organisers of the event are the Hong Kong Shipowners Association and the Hong Kong Maritime Museum, together with the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and Invest Hong Kong as partners. For more details of HKMW 2022, please visit www.hkmw.hk.
