The total registered tonnage of Hong Kong-registered ships reached 131.8 million tons by the end of 2024, marking a 10-year high and maintaining its position as the fourth-largest globally, according to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government.

The figure was based on the scale of flags published by the United Nations that adopts gross tonnage (which reflects the size of the vessel), the Transport and Logistics Bureau of the HKSAR government said on social media earlier.

The latest Port State Control detention rate of Hong Kong-registered ships is only 0.69 percent, which is significantly lower than the world average of 3.3 percent and is within the top three lowest among the ten largest flag administrations, reflecting the unrivaled degree of safety and reliability of the Hong Kong fleet, the bureau said.

The bureau also highlighted that there are more than 1,200 port and maritime-related companies in Hong Kong, representing an increase of about 10 percent compared to five years ago.

As regards port operations, the HKSAR government will continue to reinforce the international status of the Hong Kong Port through digitalization, green transformation and smart transition, the bureau said.