Taking cargo from the Greater Bay Area (GBA) to Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) by boat may seem counter-intuitive – the fastest transport mode meets the slowest – but in adversity, it has already proven its worth.
During the fifth wave of COVID-19 in Hong Kong earlier this year, public health measures included restrictions on cross-border traffic, which greatly limited the number of trucks entering the city. These trucks are vital to keeping shops and markets in Hong Kong stocked with fresh food, among other essentials.
With trucks concentrating on delivering necessaries to Hong Kong, there were fewer available to deliver cargo to the airport. So some enterprising agents diverted goods onto shipping containers, for transfer to boats working their way down the Pearl River Delta to Hong Kong’s shipping ports, and then for transfer onward to the airport.
This is also a part of HKIA’s growth and development plan. This includes the third runway, the new terminal and the expanded SkyCity development, which will feature Hong Kong’s largest integrated retail, entertainment and dining complex. But from a cargo perspective, one of the most significant developments is some way away from the airport – about six hours away by boat in Dongguan to the north of Shenzhen.