Page 26 - ar2013

Letter to
Unitholders
Dear Unitholders,
Our reflections and
heartfelt appreciation
The year 2013 was one which presented
both opportunities and challenges for
the Trust.
With the US and Eurozone economies
remaining sluggish throughout 2013,
and the industry continuing to undergo
complex shifts, businesses everywhere
have had to innovate.
The Trust has been able to stay ahead of
the curve by nurturing our strengths and
actively pursuing avenues for expansion.
Despite the trying operating environment,
we were able to deliver distributions to
unitholders in line with our distribution
policy. The Trust, since being included as
an STI component in April 2013, achieved
the highest dividend yield of 7.8% for
the year among all STI constituent
companies, outperforming the average
weighted dividend yield of 3.3%.
It is important that we pay tribute to
our dedicated management team and
workforce. By virtue of their strong
commitment and ingenuity, our ports
continue to rank among the world’s top
performing container terminals.
The theme for this year’s annual report,
“Handling Vessels Any Size, Any Time”,
aims to celebrate the Trust’s versatility,
its effciency, customer-centricity and
the vast capabilities of our ports, in
HANDLING VESSELS
ANY SIZE, ANY TIME
the midst of a demanding and ever-
changing business landscape.
Another milestone year
The past year has seen the culmination
of many of the Trust’s efforts in the
operational sphere. Through the
challenges over the years, the Trust
has refned and optimised its processes
and capabilities, reaching a level of
high effciency and dynamism.
In January 2013, YICT celebrated the
handling of its 100 millionth TEU.
This was not an easy task to achieve
within the short period of 18.5 years,
which is a further testament to the
Trust’s operational strengths. Leading
on from this were calls from various
mega-vessels throughout the year,
most notably three of the world's
largest container vessels currently in
operation. With carrying capacities of
up to 18,000 TEU, and dimensions of
400 metres long and 59 metres wide,
the handling of these mega-vessels
was a monumental undertaking, made
possible only through the advanced
operating capabilities and long
contiguous berths at YICT.
The Trust ended the year 2013 in a
similarly outstanding manner, with
YICT celebrating its 20th anniversary
in November. Festivities were held to
recognise every employee’s hard work
over the past two decades, and brought
together many stakeholders as they
commemorated this signifcant occasion.
HUTCHISON PORT HOLDINGS TRUST 24