It is one of the hub ports serving the South-East and East Asia region, and is a gateway to mainland China.
It was a free port, and became an international trade center connecting land and sea transport between China and other countries.
It helps Hong Kong maintain its position on international trade centre and transshipment hub.
As part of the 1997 transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong from Britain to China, the ship registration system has made some adjustments.
The new measures not only reduce the operation cost of ship management, but also improve service quality.