The annual event of the Hong Kong shipping and port industry, "Hong Kong Shipping Week 2024," opened in Hong Kong on the 18th. The theme of this year's Maritime Week is "Heading towards a Green Future" and the slogan is "Hong Kong's High Range and Far sighted Navigation", showcasing the Hong Kong shipping industry's joint efforts towards sustainable shipping and consolidating Hong Kong's firm determination as an international shipping center.
The Acting Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Chen Guoji, stated in his opening speech that sustainable development and transforming Hong Kong into a green shipping center are the core of our policy objectives. The SAR government has just released the Action Plan for Green Marine Fuel Refueling, which includes promoting the development of necessary infrastructure, encouraging port emissions reduction, providing incentives to encourage the use of green marine fuel, building a green shipping corridor with other ports in the Greater Bay Area, and building Hong Kong into a green marine fuel refueling center.
Lin Shixiong, Secretary for Transport and Logistics of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and Chairman of the Hong Kong Maritime and Port Authority, said that the global shipping industry is undergoing profound changes influenced by digitization, decarbonization, geopolitics, and global trade dynamics. The SAR government has always prioritized enhancing Hong Kong's role as a "super liaison" in the shipping industry, which is also one of the purposes of organizing the "Hong Kong Maritime Week". This year's Maritime Week activities have further strengthened international connections, such as the International Chamber of Shipping's first-ever two-day Hong Kong Global Shipping Trade Summit, where government officials from around the world gather in Hong Kong to discuss issues related to the shipping industry.
One of the flagship events of Hong Kong Maritime Week 2024, the 2024 World Air Transport Conference Main Forum, was held shortly after the opening ceremony. The theme of the conference is "Cross cycle Integration towards Innovation", aiming to focus on the new opportunities and challenges faced by the shipping industry in the context of global economic, trade, and transportation changes.
Another flagship event of Hong Kong Maritime Week 2024, the Asia Logistics Shipping and Air Transport Conference 2024, also kicked off on the same day. The two-day conference, themed "Shaping the Future of Supply Chain: Resilience and Sustainability," invites stakeholders from various sectors of the supply chain, including air, shipping, and logistics service providers and shippers, to exchange the latest market information and explore global business opportunities.