The Macau Federation of Trade Unions’ (commonly known as Gung Luen in Cantonese) Vice-President Leong Sun Iok said yesterday that about 65 percent of a survey’s respondents worry that the government’s plan to transfer part of the Inner Harbour’s cargo throughput to Ka Ho Port in Coloane will increase the transport costs and thus affect the retail prices.
Leong made the remarks during a press conference yesterday introducing the findings of a survey on the future of Macau’s cargo shipping conducted by Gung Luen from January to August, adding that nearly 72 percent of the respondents said they worried that the government’s plan would increase vehicular traffic around Ka Ho Port.
According to Leong, the survey collected 512 valid questionnaires.
The government adopted a transition plan proposed by the local shipping sector in 2022 according to which 44 percent of the Inner Harbour’s cargo throughput be transferred to Ka Ho Port in Coloane due to the latter’s greater capacity. However, the plan has been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and also because the plan’s implementation initially could increase logistical costs and trigger employment issues.
Leong said that the shipping sector also worries that the overall facilities of Ka Ho Port are still not complete and that the distance between Ka Ho Port and the Macau peninsula is too long, According to Leong, the sector also worried that the new plan would lead to changes in its human resources.
Leong suggested that the government should address residents’ concerns about the transition plan and reduce the impact on people’s livelihoods by communicating with logistics operators and suppliers to ensure the transparency and rationality of the possible increase in costs.
Yesterday’s press conference also raised the situation and development of the local logistics sector, with Leong pointing out that more than 80 percent of the respondents believe that shipping is very important to Macau’s future economic development. “This indicates that residents generally have a high consensus and expectations about the need to train the shipping sector’s human resources, strengthened cooperation with neighbouring regions, and the requirement to come up with a good plan for the development of the Inner Harbour,” Leong said.
Leong also suggested that it was important to formulate a long-term and appropriate plan to promote the development of the Inner Harbour area. He underlined that there is a need to consider an increase in and changes to various public facilities there, and also to optimise the environment of the Inner Harbour area to improve the quality of life of its residents.
In addition, Leong added that the Inner Harbour area boasts a strong cultural heritage combining ancient Chinese and Western cultures and a rich history of fisheries. Leong proposed that the government conduct in-depth research on the Inner Harbour area, so as to take full advantage of its tourist attractions, and gradually expand the tourist flow around the San Ma Lou area, known in Portuguese as Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro.
This undated file photo downloaded from Wikipedia yesterday shows Ka Ho Port in Coloane.
