Kwong Tat Loong Shipyard (Brothers) Ltd – Tsing Yi – a HK industry in decline
HF: Tam Kon Shan Road runs for a couple of kilometres along the north coast of Tsing Yi island. The western kilometre is home to about twenty shipyards – the largest number of this industry, I believe, remaining in Hong Kong. Repairing and maintenance not shipbuilding.
On 13th December 2014 I visited Kwong Tat Loong Shipyard (Brothers) Ltd. and took the photographs below. As I walked along the road I noted the street number of each shipyard and photographed its street side building. However, Kwong Tat Loong did not have a number. Somewhat remiss of me to find that out as I don’t know which yard it is in the two maps below. However I think it is the one with the word jetty on the extreme right of the second map.
I have walked along Tam Kon Shan Road several times over the years.The shipyards are not prospering. A worker I spoke to at Kwong Tat Loong told me only five of the road’s companies are still operating as shipyards. He added the number of workers at each yard has decreased, profits are low. The business of small ship repair and maintenance is moving to China.
How long will the remaining Tsing Yi shipyards be operating?
This article was first posted on 15th December 2014.
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