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"The activists are quite well equipped. We've got food, water, warm clothing and we're prepared to stay as long as possible," said spokeswoman Luisa Tam.

"We are trying to get a written guarantee, confirmation that this rubbish will go back to Australia, not to be dumped in Hong Kong or anywhere in Asia," she said.

The nine activists sailed into the Kwai Chung container terminal in a sampan before dawn and boarded the German-registered vessel, Zim Sydney.

"We went from the water taxi...we got on to the dock, and walked up to the ship and up the gangway," activist Anne Dingwall told Reuters.

"The other side confirmed that the three containers were on board and (we) climbed on top of them," Dingwall said.

Wearing bright orange outfits, they then hoisted banners reading "Stop Toxic Trade", "Hong Kong - First Asylum Port for Foreign Garbage".

According to a Greenpeace, the ship is carrying computer waste including lead, cadmium, barium, mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls, and is believed to be bound for southern China.

Hong Kong police would not comment on whether the shipment had left Australia illegally. Customs authorities were not immediately available for comment.

The protesters are now negotiating with the ship's captain and agent along with police, customs and terminal officials.

A Greenpeace statement charged that the shipment was exported illegally from Australia.

"From there it was illegally exported on board Zim Sydney without an Australian government permit and without 'Prior Informed Consent' as required under Australia's Hazardous Waste (Export and Imports) Act," it said.

The pressure group criticised Hong Kong's laws as weak, allowing the territory to be abused as a transhipment centre for harmful waste.

"Stringent laws are urgently needed to ban both the import and transhipment of all hazardous waste," the statement said.

(c) Reuters Limited 1997