Queen Mary 2

I am extremely happy to learn that this enormous passenger ship arrived at Hong Kong recently. It travelled exactly the same route I took a couple of months ago, from Australia to Hong Kong , then to Singapore.

I heard from Ho Keung and Yin Ping that it visited Sydney, Australia in Mid-February. Yin Ping suggested me to ring the bell when it entered the Victoria Harbour, but I did not because the ringing of such a small bell could not be heard by the passengers on board.

I learned from newspapers that it could not park at Ocean Terminal because of its huge size and its length of 1132 feet. It could only park at Kwai Chung Container Pier. The passengers from Hong Kong and Inland China would have to board the ship at the pier surrounded by containers and cranes.

Obviously Hong Kong needs a better and well-equipped sea-terminal for these luxurious passenger ships to anchor at. It is believed that in 5 years' time, a new passenger pier will be completed at Kai Tak (at the side of the runway of the old airport).

The photo on the right shows the historic moment of the modern Queen Mary 2 saying farewell to the beautiful Victoria harbour on its way to Singapore.