A new passenger terminal that is inspired on the one in Amsterdam is to be built in Hong Kong. Its design and layout are based on the passenger terminal in Amsterdam. The Port of Amsterdam, Passenger Terminal Amsterdam (PTA) and engineering firm Lievense were among the parties involved in submitting a proposal for the design and construction of the new terminal, which is to cost 300 million dollars.

The aforementioned organisations work together in the foundation Amsterdam Port Consultants (APC), which in turn is part of an international consortium that was awarded the contract. The consortium is managed by Dragages Hong Kong, a subsidiary of Bouygues, which is a major French contractor.

Cruise ships

The new cruise terminal will be built at the location of the former runway of the airport in Hong Kong. The runway was known for its low-level approach over apartment buildings. The terminal will be built to stimulate mass cruise tourism from China. The terminal can simultaneously process two large vessels of the Oasis of The Seas model. These are currently the largest cruise ships in the world; with a length of 360 metres and the capacity to transport over 6000 passengers.

Events

The winning design is based on the principle of the Amsterdam cruise terminal, which was built to serve multiple purposes. The terminal can also be used for large-scale events such as fairs, conferences and parties.

Passenger transport

The APC foundation was set up by the Port of Amsterdam in 1980 and offers the joint knowledge of the Port of Amsterdam and private partners. APC develops ports around the world. In this case APC partner, Passenger Terminal Amsterdam (PTA), was able to provide its specific knowledge of terminals and successful handling of passenger transport. Another APC partner, Raadgevend Ingenieursbureau Lievense, an engineering consultancy with extensive experience of cruise terminals in the Caribbean was also involved in the project.

Construction

Now that the consortium’s proposal, which was selected from a range submitted proposals, has been accepted the project will be realised over coming years. Construction work is expected to commence in 2011. The Hong Kong project means the continued involvement of Amsterdam Port Consultants, and further promotion of the international profile of the Port of Amsterdam and its partners Passenger Terminal Amsterdam, and engineering firm Lievense.