geographical position
According to the data of 2004, the area of Victoria Harbour is 4 1.88 square kilometers, and the average water depth is 12 meters. The deepest river is Lei Yue Mun, about 43 meters deep, and the shallowest river is Yau Ma Tei, about 7 meters deep. It starts from Lei Yue Mun in the east and reaches Green Island, Nam Wan Kok and Ting Kau (also known as "West Anchor Bay") in the west. The tidal range in Victoria Harbour is about 1 meter. The harbour includes islands such as Tsing Yi Island, Green Island, little green island and Kowloon Stone, and waterways such as Rambler Channel, Sulphur Channel and Lei Yue Mun.
water level
The highest water level in Victoria Harbour is 3.96m, which was recorded during Typhoon Dai Wen 1962. Due to global warming, large-scale reclamation, fresh water and sediments flowing from the Pearl River Estuary, and currents in the South China Sea, the water level in Victoria Harbour rose by 65,438+0954 to 2004, with an average annual increase of 2.3 mm. In addition, during the period from 65,438+0987 to 65,438+0999, the water level in Victoria Harbour increased by 22 mm annually on average, that is, after 1999, the water level in Victoria Harbour dropped rapidly.
operating space
In the1970s, when container terminals began to develop, there were not enough berths available for container ships. In order to reduce the loss caused by waiting for berths, liner companies decided to deliver containers directly to cargo ships, and the containers were loaded and unloaded by pontoons or barges at sea, and then transported to nearby docks by barges, with the aim of assisting the role of container terminals and becoming the embryonic form of mid-stream operations in Hong Kong.
In order to facilitate the cargo of container ships to be transported to all parts of Hong Kong and Kowloon, Hong Kong has set up a number of mid-stream operation areas on both sides of Victoria Harbour. Because midstream operation can directly load and unload container ships at some docks in the urban area, it is not necessary to load and unload container ships through container terminals, which can avoid delays caused by road traffic congestion or insufficient berths. Coupled with the low cost of mid-stream operation, it provides many customers with one more loading and unloading option. At present, about 20% of the cargo handling work in Hong Kong is mid-stream operation carried out on ships moored or anchored in ports.
Related protection
After the handover of Hong Kong's sovereignty, the voice against reclamation became stronger and stronger. During the period of 1998, the government had to suspend and re-examine the reclamation project opposite Kai Tak and Tamar due to the opposition of many environmental groups led by the Association for the Protection of the Harbour. Later, some organizations and citizens filed legal proceedings against the government's reclamation plans in Wan Chai North and Central. Until 2004, the Court of Final Appeal ruled that the government lost the case against the government's Wan Chai North reclamation plan. But in 2005, the government won the Central Reclamation Project. Although the Government won the case in the Central reclamation project, in order to avoid further litigation, the Government has also set up a Harbour Improvement Advisory Committee to listen to the public's views on the reclamation project. Nowadays, Victoria Harbour has been reclaimed for many times, and its area has been greatly reduced, but the traffic is getting busier and busier, so the waves are bigger than before, and smaller ships will produce waves when sailing at sea. ?