Press Release

Modern Terminals has recently donated the first two issues of its staff newsletter Hoi Ma published in 1977 and a model of a straddle carrier (nicknamed “Gwei Shau” or  “Monster” in Cantonese), the first generation of container crane used at the port, to the Hong Kong Museum of History for its new permanent exhibition of “The Hong Kong Story”.

Modern Terminals Group Managing Director Peter J. Levesque said: “We are honoured to be part of ‘The Hong Kong Story’ at the Museum.  We opened the first purpose-built container terminal in Hong Kong in 1972 and we are committed to the development of the industry which is an important economic contributor of the city.  We continue to invest in our facilities in order to enhance the competitiveness of the port and to develop the Port of Hong Kong into a “Smart and Green Port”.  We are proud to have vessels among the world’s largest calling at our facilities on a regular basis.”

Osmond Chan, Curator, Hong Kong Museum of History said: “We are extremely delighted to have objects for the process of containerization for which artefacts are hard to come by. This problem has now been resolved with the generous donation from Modern Terminals Limited.”

“The Hong Kong Story” exhibition will be closed in the second half of 2020 for renovation and the items will be on display when the exhibition re-opens in late 2022 or early 2023.

In the 1970s, the opening-up of China has led to the transformation of Hong Kong’s economy. Hong Kong, with its geographical location and comprehensive port facilities, has become the largest gateway for imports/exports of Mainland China and one of the world’s busiest shipping hubs.

Through the donation, Modern Terminals hopes to enhance the knowledge and arouse the interest of the general public in the industry through the stories behind Hoi Ma and the straddle carrier model.