14. Planning and Development

New Control Points under Development

The Shenzhen Bay Control Point (SBCP) is a new control point located at Shenzhen Bay Port. The SBCP will be the fourth land boundary crossing of the department built to relieve the heavy vehicle and passenger traffics at other control points of Lok Ma Chau, Man Kam To and Sha Tau Kok. The SBCP is designed with 118 lanes with each direction containing 32 kiosks for goods vehicles, 25 for private cars and two for coaches. In 2016, the SBCP would process traffic which is estimated to reach 60 300 vehicles and 61 300 passengers per day.

The SBCP is the first control point to adopt the co-location arrangement for customs and immigration clearance of passengers and cargoes by Hong Kong and Shenzhen. Under co-location, each side will conduct its own processing formalities according to its own laws and regulations in respective designated areas.

The SBCP is scheduled to commence operation in mid-2007. A total of 561 Customs staff will be deployed to work there. As in other Customs control points, the department will employ advanced technology for clearance services at the SBCP to support the department’s dual mission of law enforcement and facilitation of trade. Customs clearance equipment at the SBCP includes two sets of fixed x-ray vehicle inspection systems which are capable to process a 40-foot container in just 2 minutes. Other hi-tech equipment includes mobile x-ray vehicle scanning systems, electronic contraband detectors and carbon dioxide detectors for detection of illegal immigrants.

Lok Ma Chau Spur Line Control Point

The Lok Ma Chau Spur Line provides for a new rail passenger crossing from Sheung Shui to Lok Ma Chau/Huanggang. This extension railway is built to divert part of the boundary-crossing passengers from Lo Wu Station.  The new rail crossing will provide a daily two-way passenger flow of 150 000.

The Lok Ma Chau Spur Line Control Point is scheduled to commence operation in 2007.  A total of 84 Customs staff will be deployed there to provide clearance services. As other Customs control points, passengers will be processed with advance examination equipment such as x-ray checkers and contraband detectors, and modern Customs passenger clearance cubicles will provide secure processing and protection of personal privacy.

Tuen Mun Ferry Terminal

The Tuen Mun Ferry Terminal is a new cross-boundary ferry terminal providing passenger ferry services between Hong Kong and Zhuhai.   The terminal was commissioned on 3 November 2006 and the  daily passenger capacity can be up to 12 000. A total of 26 Customs staff have been deployed by this department to facilitate the processing of  passenger clearance at the terminal.

Other Initiatives

New Control Points under Planning

For the promotion of Hong Kong’s economic development and facilitation of passenger and cargo flows between Hong Kong and the Mainland, a number of new projects are under study and planning by the government. This includes the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, Liantang cross boundary facilities at Heung Yuen Wai, and new Cruise Terminal at Southeast Kowloon. The department will provide full support for the planning and implementation of these new projects.

The Customs Headquarters Building

The department will commence construction of the headquarters building in 2007. The project has already had the funding approval of the Finance Committee of LegCo in June 2006. Construction work will commence in April 2007, to complete by the end of 2010.

The Customs Headquarters Building will be founded on a convenient location at the junction of Java Road and Tin Chiu Street in North Point. The building will carry a net operational office area of 27 567 square metres in 32 storeys to accommodate offices, carparks and special and general facilities. About 1 850 Customs staff from 25 administrative and investigation formations will be re-located to the building.

The new building will provide additional office areas and new facilities such as a radio command control centre, an indoor firing range, a multi-purpose auditorium, an exhibition centre, and an up-to-date information technology centre. The building will contribute to enhancing the operational efficiency of the department by co-locating its offices together. It will also improve the security measures of the investigation formations to support the safe processing of cases, seizures and arrestees. It will as well improve the department’s public services by centralizing customer services at one point.

New Initiatives / Projects

Expansion Project at Sha Tau Kok Control Point

The Expansion Project provided additional space and facilities for customs clearance at the Sha Tau Kok Control Point.  The construction works started in December 2004 and were completed in June 2006.  Including the new detector dog kennel, Customs office accommodation and examination areas have increased from 204 square metres to 777 square metres.

SkyPlaza

To meet the rapidly growing service demand and to sustain the Hong Kong International Airport’s position as a major international airport hub, the Airport Authority Hong Kong is constructing a second Passenger Terminal Building, the SkyPlaza, which is scheduled for commissioning in early 2007.  As an integral part of the passenger processing facilities, the Government will provide Customs, Immigration, Quarantine facilities for air departure operation.  Officers of the department will be deployed to man the Duty Office for handling dutiable commodities, endorsement of ATA carnet and general enquiries for departing passengers.  Customs officers will also man the Staff Exit Channel and perform related checks at the Channel.

Expansion Project in Air Cargo Industry – Asia Airfreight Terminal (AAT)

In view of the rapid development of the air cargo industry, the Asia Airfreight Terminal (AAT) invested $1.75 billion to expand its terminal (T2), the construction works of which have been completed.  T2is a multi-storey warehouse covering a gross area of 117 000 square metres and.  equipped with a state-of-the-art Material Handling System (MHS) supported by the latest computer applications and infrastructure, to perform a handling capacity of 910 000 tonnes per annum.  Upon commencement of its formal operation in two phases by 2007, the two terminals will provide an aggregated cargo handling capacity of 1.5 million per annum.

Expansion Project in Air Cargo Industry – DHL Central Asia SuperHub (CAS)

To sustain Hong Kong’s position as the regional premier air cargo hub, the Airport Authority Hong Kong granted a franchise agreement to DHL to develop a new express cargo terminal at the Hong Kong International Airport, namely the Central Asia Hub (CAH).  Since the commencement of CAH in June 2004, DHL has experienced a rapid growth in the cargo volume. 

In light of the upsurge in cargo volume, DHL announced to speed up its expansion project named as DHL Central Asia SuperHub (CAS).  The new facilities will increase DHL’s parcel sorting capacity from 20 000 to 35 000 pieces per hour and its document handling capacity from 15 000 to 40 000 pieces per hour.  To support DHL’s expansion, the department will set up clearance facilities with a view to providing effective and efficient clearance service in CAS.

Customs Equipment and Facilities

Out of its fleet of 19 vessels, Customs will replace three patrol launches which have been in service for a number of years, and technical specifications of the new vessels are under preparation. The existing three Damen Mark III patrol launches will be upgraded in size and equipped with advanced navigation technologies for better sea borne functions to support Customs’ anti-smuggling duties at sea. It is expected that the three new vessels will be in operation by 2009. The total cost of the three launches is estimated to be $117 million.

Customs Radio Communications System

Technical studies are now undertaken by the department to replace and upgrade its radio communications system. To facilitate the study, the department in 2004 commissioned the Electrical and Mechanical Services department to conduct a consultancy study on its radio networks used for communication and operational purposes. The consultancy study was completed in 2005 and the department is at the moment surveying the available options for replacement that would support the department’s future technical and functional needs.

Fixed X-ray Vehicle Inspection System

Since the introduction of two sets of Vehicle X-Ray Inspection Systems at the southbound and northbound lane respectively at the Lok Ma Chau Control Point in early 2003, the inspection time for each goods vehicle has been shortened substantially from the previous three-four hours to less than 20 minutes.  The two systems have greatly enhanced Customs clearance efficiency and capability in the suppression of cross-boundary smuggling activities.  From January 2005 to August 2006, the two systems have successfully detected a total of 78 smuggling cases involving seizures valued at a total of $26 million at the Lok Ma Chau Control Point.

SkyPier

As a cross-boundary ferry terminal, the SkyPier has commenced operation since September 2003 to provide ferry services for transit passengers between the Hong Kong International Airport and other ports at the Pearl River Delta (PRD) of the Mainland China. Up till now, a total of 5 ports including Macau, Fuyong, Shekou, Zhongshan and Humen are providing sea-to-air and air-to-sea services.

As the passengers using the service are not required to undergo CIQ process at the Hong Kong International Airport, the SkyPier offers a speedy and seamless travel experience to passengers plying between other countries and the PRD of Mainland China.  Transiting passengers and their baggage are transferred between the Passenger Terminal Building (PTB) of the Hong Kong International Airport and the SkyPier by sealed buses along a dedicated and bonded road which is designated as restricted area.  In view of the security arrangement so provided, Customs operations are conducted at the SkyPier on a strike-and-search basis to facilitate trade and tourism.

Since the commencement of operation in September 2003, the daily passenger throughput of the SkyPier has reached up to 4 000 transit passengers.  To meet the increasing demand for the services, the Airport Authority Hong Kong  extended the service to the northbound connecting vessels in December 2006 such that air-to-sea passengers at the SkyPier can get on board departing ferry from the China Ferry Terminal or the Macau Ferry Terminal for PRD.

Implementation of Red and Green Channel System

The Red and Green Channel System has been implemented at all air, land and sea entry points since 1 November 2005.  Introduction of this new customs clearance mode aims at facilitating passenger clearance, enhancing revenue protection on dutiable goods and aligning with international practice on passenger clearance.  No additional manpower is required for implementing the new mode of operation.

Passengers arriving Hong Kong will make their customs declaration by choosing either the “Red Channel” or the “Green Channel” to pass through in Customs Hall of an entry point.  The “Red Channel” is for passengers with goods to declare and the “Green Channel” is for passengers with nothing to declare.  To provide passengers with a clear indication as to which channel they should go through, colour display boards are installed at the entrance of each channel.

Passengers going through the “Green Channel” are not exempt from Customs examination.  Officers of the department will select passengers for examination based on risk assessment.  Passengers will be liable to prosecution in case excessive quantity of dutiable commodities or any prohibited/controlled item not covered by a valid licence/permit is found.  Under the Red and Green Channel System, officers of the department can maintain efficient Customs clearance while facilitating passengers on declaration services and baggage examination inside cubicles.

Since implementation, the majority of incoming passengers (nearly 99.9 per cent) at various control points used the “Green Channel” for customs declaration.  There were increases in the daily average of duties collected, the number of compounding cases and prosecution cases at the entry points after implementation of this new mode of passenger clearance.

For air passengers, they are generally satisfied with the mode of “Red and Green Channel” services as compared with the “Open Counter” arrangement in the past.  They express their satisfaction towards the set-up, signage and environment of the Red and Green Channels as well as the working efficiency and attitude of the Customs officers thereat.  Stakeholders at the Airport also welcome the Red and Green Channel System as the System facilitates their provision of airline or airport services to passengers.  They also find the passenger flow management at the Red and Green Channels satisfactory.

Customs Detector Dog Base

For meeting the operational needs of the four land boundary control points, the Lok Ma Chau and Sha Tau Kok Customs Detector Dog Bases commenced operation in March 2005 and October 2006 respectively.  The Dog Base at Lok Ma Chau occupies an area of about 600 square metres and can accommodate 5 to 8 drug detector dogs.  The smaller one at Sha Tau Kok occupies an area of about 100 square metres and can accommodate 2 detector dogs.