'Joint drill with Shenzhen needed at Huanggang port'

Secretary for Security Chris Tang announced on Monday that the government plans to conduct at least one joint drill with authorities in Shenzhen to assess the readiness of the new Huanggang port facility. The previous two drills, held on Thursday and Saturday, went smoothly, testing traffic and passenger flows.

Tang emphasized that a minimum of one further drill is necessary, alongside Shenzhen authorities, to evaluate the automated clearance gates at the checkpoint. One test session is the minimum, but they have a major drill scheduled for the 22nd, next Saturday. However, they will need to assess the installation and commissioning of the gate machines before testing them on that day.

Tang stated that the government will take note of all feedback received from the first two drills. So far, the tests are satisfactory, but they have identified a few areas for improvement. For instance, they plan to improve direction signs, traffic flows, and passenger queuing arrangements at the public transport interchange, and they have noted a lack of benches inside the facility.

Tang mentioned that two more large-scale drills, scheduled for August 22 and 29, will stress-test all facilities at the new port area. These tests will involve 10,000 and 20,000 people respectively, providing a comprehensive evaluation of the port's readiness.