Kai Tak Cruise Terminal

Kai Tak Cruise Terminal is a luxury cruise ship terminal that opened at the former Kai Tak Airport runway at Hong Kong, China. Its completion date was delayed into 2013 due to re-tendering. Following an international competition, Foster + Partners was chosen to design the cruise terminal. The first ship berthed on 12 June 2013. The terminal has the capacity to berth two large 360m long vessels, which carry a total of 5,400 passengers and 1,200 crew, as well as anticipating the demands of cruise liners currently on the drawing board.The Government announced that it would focus on the development of a new cruise terminal at Kai Tak development area to help Hong Kong become a regional transport hub for cruise ships. It was built by Dragages Hong Kong Limited and site formation was completed by Penta-Ocean Construction Company.History and developmentThe annual berth utilisation rate of Ocean Terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui, which offers two berths accommodating vessels of up to 50000t, rose to 76% last year from 71% in 2003. Between 2001 and 2005, some 11 cruise vessels had to berth mid-stream and at container terminals because Ocean Terminal could not meet market demand.Hong Kong's Secretary for Economic Development, Stephen Ip, said Hong Kong needs an additional berths between 2009 and 2015, and one to two more berths beyond 2015 to capture the growth of the regional cruise market. Berthing facilities – two alongside berths of 850m, an apron area, fender system and passenger gangways; Support facilities – located mainly in the cruise terminal building, such as customs, immigration, quarantine counters, and 20 baggage handling areas; and, A commercial area inside the cruise terminal building with a maximum gross floor area of 5600m2 for retail facilities. The Government at first adopted a market-driven approach in the new development. Selected through an open tender exercise, the successful bidder would have owned the 76000m2 of land for a 50-year period and form the site as well as design, build and operate the terminal.