COMMUNICATIONS
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in the smaller ports of the Colony. At key points around the harbour portable banks of carbon dioxide cylinders have been established, each bank being capable of smothering a fire in the largest hold of any ship visiting the port.
On December 8 the 3,000-ton freighter Forecariah caught fire off Stonecutters Island. The vessel, though gutted by flames, did not sink.
Port activity in 1962 again showed an increased movement of shipping, though the delayed effects of a seamen's strike in Japan caused the number of inward ships to fall during the first week of May. The subsequent settlement of this strike, which had tied up over 500 ships in Japanese ports, caused the heaviest influx of shipping in post-war years, but careful planning enabled the resulting difficulties to be satisfactorily resolved. Transhipment cargo accounts for an appreciable proportion of cargo handled in the port. Details of vessels entered and cleared during the year, together with figures of cargo loaded and discharged, are in Appendix X, which also shows the number of passengers, includ- ing emigrants, who landed and embarked during the year.
I
The Colony continues to develop its industries, and shipping companies bring in the raw materials and take away the finished products. Many well-known and old-established shipping com- panies maintain regular and frequent services to and from Hong Kong; some 20 companies provide regular sailings to Europe and an equal number to the North American continent. There are also regular services to Australia, New Zealand, South America, South Africa and Asian ports. Hong Kong continues to be a popular tourist centre and large luxury liners on round-the-world or trans- Pacific cruises call frequently. The provision of an ocean terminal for the largest passenger vessels likely to visit Hong Kong within the next decade is being planned for ships of draughts up to 36 feet, the convenience of tourists being a paramount consideration in the proposed three-tier building. It is expected that this new terminal will be ready in 1966 and in the meantime a temporary passenger terminal was completed during the year at Navy Street, Tsim Sha Tsui.
Fifty-two moorings for ocean-going vessels are maintained by the Marine Department. Of these, 25 are classified as suitable for the use of vessels up to 600 feet in length in typhoon conditions,