The foundation stone laying ceremony for the Cruise Terminal Building, chaired by the Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang, was held here Friday.

According to the authorities, the new cruise terminal will be a new iconic building at the center of Victoria Harbor, which will be able to berth the largest cruise vessels in the world.

The Hong Kong government has funded the design and construction of the cruise terminal and will lease it to an operator for management and operation.

The terminal building and the first berth, which is able to accommodate the largest cruise vessels in the world till now, are expected to come into operation in mid-2013. The second berth will be commissioned in 2014 and will also be able to accommodate same large cruise vessels in 2015 after dredging works on the seabed are completed.

It is highly functional and efficient, and will bring together environmental friendly facilities to provide world class services to cruise passengers. The terminal building also provides an ancillary commercial area of about 5,600 square meters, and a landscaped deck with open space and greeneries on its roof for public enjoyment.

Hong Kong possesses natural advantages and modern infrastructure, such as a strategic geographical position in Asia Pacific, rich experience to serve cruise operators in tourism industry, modern infrastructure and superior airlift capacity in fly-cruise passengers service and so on.

Therefore, the new cruise terminal will contribute to the goal of developing Hong Kong into a leading regional cruise hub.

The government is inviting tenders for the tenancy of operating and managing the terminal, with a view to appointing the operator by the end of this year.