Just over three kilometers from the Port of Hong Kong, the Hongkong International Terminals are the world's largest facilities for containerized cargo, and they move almost half of Hong Kong's throughput.

Hong Kong is one of the world's biggest ports, and its history as a Port began in the middle 1800s. Containerization brought new traffic, and the construction of three terminals for containerized cargo was started in Kwai Chung in the 1970s. A fourth terminal was started in 1974 for Hongkong International Terminals.

The new facilities at the Hongkong International Terminals were designed for state-of-the-art systems and technology to handle containers, and they led the world in efficient use of space and productivity. More terminals were built after Hong Kong was transferred to the Republic of China.

In the 1990s, Hongkong International Terminals established a new way to handle containers. Called midstream operations, it allows smaller vessels to stay at secure buoys in the harbor while they are unloaded onto barges.

Construction of Terminal 9 began in 2000, and that year was a banner year for the Hongkong International Terminals. More than 80 international shipping lines served over 170 world ports through Hongkong International Terminals, moving 460 containers per week. The government of China, in partnership with private industry, is committed to further development of Hongkong International Ports.

The Hongkong International Terminals operates five container terminals in the Kwai Chung Container Port. More than five kilometers of continuous quay offers berthing positions for fourteen ships and nine barges. The berths are equipped with 55 quay cranes, four rail-mounted jib cranes, and one harbor crane.

The Hongkong International Terminals Hutchison Logistics Center is located at Container Terminal 4 and has more than 377 thousand square meters of floor space in its container freight station operation.

The Hongkong International Terminals cover a total area of 141 hectares. Terminals 4, 6, and 7 cover 92 hectares and include 10 ship berths and four barge berths; Terminal 8 East covers 30 hectares; and Terminal 9 covers 19 hectares. The ship berths at Hongkong International Terminals 4, 6, and 7 are a total of 2,987 meters long, and the barge berths are 305 meters long. Minimum alongside depths are from 14.2 to 15.5 meters.

Hongkong International Terminals 8 and 9 each contain two ship berths and from four to five barge berths. Terminal 8 ship berths are a total of 640 meters long, and its barge berths are 448 meters long. Terminal 9 ship berths are a total 700 meters long, and its barge berths are 300 meters long. Minimum alongside depth at both terminals is 15.5 meters.

For information about the tourism opportunities in the Port of Hong Kong, please refer to that article or to the Hong Kong tourism website.