The Hong Kong Shipowners Association today issued a press release expressing its grief at the passing of The Honourable Tung Chee-hwa GBM, who died on 8 September.
“Mr Tung’s connection to the Association is both deep and long-standing,” the Association said. “He served as our chairman from 1976 to 1977, at a formative stage in his distinguished career, and in later years, honoured our Association by accepting the role of Patron, lending his stature and wisdom to our community. He made a foundational contribution to the maritime sector.
“Beyond his achievements in shipping, Mr. Tung’s public service record is unparalleled in Hong Kong’s history. He was elected as the first Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in July 1997. Following his tenure as Chief Executive, he was elected Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political
Consultative Conference and went on to found and chair the Our Hong Kong Foundation, continuing his lifelong commitment to Hong Kong and to fostering international relations.
“We invite members of the community to reflect on the remarkable breadth of Mr. Tung’s contributions, as a shipowner who steered a great Hong Kong shipping house through crises, as a founding leader of our Special Administrative Region, and as a statesman who rose to the highest ranks of national leadership. His journey is a source of great pride for our maritime community.”
HKSOA chairman, Richard Hext issued the following tribute on behalf of the Association:
“It is hard to overstate the importance of Mr. C.H. Tung’s contribution to Hong Kong
shipping. He helped build shipping companies Chinese Maritime Transport, Island
Navigation and OOCL, which became one of the giants in the container industry, and he served as Chairman of the Hong Kong Shipowners Association from 1976 to 1977, later becoming Patron of the HKSOA. His energy, wisdom and determination to serve Hong Kong received much wider recognition when he became Hong Kong’s first Chief Executive from 1997 to 2005. We at the Association deeply mourn Mr Tung’s passing. We are very grateful for his dedication to the shipping industry, to Hong Kong, and to the nation, which greatly changed our lives for the better”