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into use, and in 1954 reclamation of another kind was chosen as a solution a runway 8,340 feet long built on a finger of land reaching into Kowloon Bay. The runway now divides the bay into two halves, the eastern part being used by shipyards, boat-builders and ship-breakers, while the western side provides space for six typhoon mooring buoys mostly used by ships under repair.
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In 1960, at the request of the Port Committee, an economist of Hong Kong University investigated daily occupancy figures of harbour buoys. After 1956, when some 300 ships a month were entering the port, an upward trend had begun to establish itself and a projection of this trend indicated that by December 1962, 500 ships a month could be expected. This figure was, in fact, reached in March 1962. It had also become apparent that the traditional China coaster of small length and tonnage was finding less employment and that larger vessels were using the port in in- creasing numbers. As a result a 10 per cent increase in the number of large ship buoys was recommended by the Port Committee for the years 1962-5. At the end of the year the Port Committee was also considering proposals to increase the harbour area to the west- ward by approximately two square miles, and to re-align and re-site mooring buoys in the western section of the harbour to take advantage of deep water south-west of Stonecutters Island.
In June 1960 typhoon Mary passed near the Colony, causing widespread damage. Fishing craft at Aberdeen and cargo-working vessels in the Yau Ma Tei typhoon shelter were severely damaged and more than 800 local craft were sunk, seriously damaged or washed ashore. The cross-harbour telephone cables were damaged by an ocean-going ship dragging its anchor. In 1962 similar, and even more severe, damage was caused to the seabed telephone cables during typhoon Wanda (further details of damage and loss of life caused by typhoon Wanda are given in chapter 15).
Following the stranding and total loss of a ship near the eastern approaches to the harbour in 1961 a Marine Court of Inquiry recommended improvements to navigational aids at the entrances to the port. Accordingly, in July 1961, the Director of Marine appointed a working party to investigate all navigational aids in the waters of the Colony. It was considered particularly important