Land freight plan for HK bridge ‘proposed’, but no feedback so far

Director Tai Kin Ip of the Economic and Technological Development Bureau (DSEDT) recently revealed in his response to lawmaker Ron Lam’s written inquiry that methods of cargo transport had been proposed to Hong Kong before the opening of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (HZMB) in 2018.

“[The Macau government] is constantly in negotiations with its Hong Kong counterpart on the arrangements for trucks moving between Hong Kong and Macau, so as to commence land transport of cargo, which will be a breakthrough from the current marine-only mode of logistics,” the official stated in his reply.

Currently, cargo logistics between Zhuhai and Hong Kong as well as between Macau and Zhuhai over the bridge are available.

However, Tai did not elaborate on why the plan had not been implemented, or when it might be implemented.

Cargo delivery to Macau relies heavily on Hong Kong, the official added. The city has limited international flight access, although some large airlines, such as Turkish Airlines and Qatar Airways, are servicing Macau on cargo routes.

In his inquiry, Lam pointed out the government had scrapped the originally planned logistics center on the Macau side of the HZMB and shrunk the project to a cross-boundary cargo transfer station. The size of the premises was also decreased to about a quarter of the original size.

He further disclosed that the logistics industry was disappointed with the decrease in the scale of the project and about not being consulted before the change of plan. Apart from fears that cargo will be mishandled at the station, which lacks suitable storage space, Lam also said that the government has never disclosed information about space allocation in the station.

Tai said that cargo will not face customs clearance at the station upon arrival, but at another customs facility. He also hinted that cargo should not remain long at the station because a series of online customs declaration platforms are available. Cargos that require it will undergo quarantine at the station, but advanced booking is required.

Commenting on the lack of land connections for cargo between the two Chinese Special Administrative Regions, the lawmaker criticized the current situation as “placing Macau’s logistics trade in a disadvantaged position amid regional competition.” AL