The Hong Kong Maritime Museum will open a new visitor centre at Central Harbourfront by the end of 2024, the highlight of which will be the anchor of the longest self-propelled ship in history. According to documents that the museum submitted to the Harbourfront Commission, there will also be a visitor centre with art-tech displays in front of Central Piers 9 and 10.
The anchor is from the Seawise Giant, which was built in the 1970s in Japan. It was later sold to a Hong Kong shipping company, which owned the ship for 15 years. Seawise Giant, which was 1,504.1 feet long, has a storied past, as it was damaged during the Iran-Iraq war and later restored to service. It was scrapped in 2010, and its 36-tonne anchor was donated to the Hong Kong Maritime Museum. It has since been at the city’s Government Dockyard on Stonecutter’s Island.
The anchor will be the focal point of the new attraction, which will be called the Hong Kong Maritime Museum Anchor Plaza Visitor Centre. There will be seating around the anchor and an 8-metre-high pavilion, which will house an interactive display board and immersive space projections. By night, the anchor will be lit up, as will the facade of the pavilion.
In addition, the visitor centre will use green-building designs to minimise its impact on the environment. It will make use of natural ventilation to minimise energy consumption, as well as have ecopaving blocks, potted plants, and an efficient structural design.
The Hong Kong Maritime Museum currently has a short-term tenancy from the Lands Department to use the land in front of Central Piers 9 and 10. The museum has applied to extend its tenancy to five years to accommodate its new visitor centre on this site. Construction on the centre will begin in early 2024.
Header image credits: Harbourfront Commission
