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COMMUNICATIONS AND TRANSPORT
Terminals, Kowloon Container Warehouse Company, Sea-Land Orient, and the Hong Kong and Kowloon Wharf and Godown Company. The approach channel to Kwai Chung is dredged to give a depth of 40 feet at chart datum over a width of 1,100 feet. Interim container berths within Victoria Harbour are located at Tsim Sha Tsui, North Point and Hung Hom. They are operated respectively by the Hong Kong and Kowloon Wharf and Godown Company, North Point Wharves, and Whampoa Terminals.
Good bunkering facilities are provided in the port and vessels may be supplied with fuel oil either from the wharves at the oil terminals or from a fleet of harbour oilers. Fresh water is obtainable at commercial wharves or from water boats which service vessels at anchor or at government mooring buoys.
Hong Kong United Dockyards has extensive facilities for the repair, maintenance, and drydocking or slipping of all types and classes of vessels. Its yards can handle tankers up to 35,000 tons deadweight and passenger liners up to 750 feet in length and 88 feet beam. Additionally, the Island Navigation Corporation operates a float- ing drydock with a lifting capacity of 100,000 deadweight tons. Minor shipyards in Hong Kong continue to flourish with more than 170 slipways equipped to undertake repairs to small vessels. These shipyards have also developed a capacity for building specialised craft, particularly sophisticated pleasure craft and yachts.
Hong Kong continues to be a prominent centre for recruiting seamen and more than 28,700 Hong Kong seamen are serving on board some 1,500 foreign-going vessels. The Seamen's Recruiting Office and the Mercantile Marine Office continue to register and supervise the employment of seamen on board vessels of all flags. The Mariners' Clubs in Kowloon provide recreational and welfare facilities of a high standard for visiting seamen of all nationalities.
There is considerable tourist and other sea passenger traffic between Hong Kong and Macau, and facilities at the Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Terminal on Hong Kong Island are being improved. More than four million passengers were recorded on this route in 1975.
During the year the port was free of any major incidents. Work continued on the removal of underwater sections of the burnt out 'Seawise University', with about 20,000 tons of steelwork being removed by the end of the year. In March, work began on the reorganisation of the harbour moorings, which will take three years to complete. The reorganisation was made necessary by the development of new reclamations, the need to cater for the larger conventional vessels now calling at the port, and the requirement for fairways to be widened.
New and amended legislation effecting the work of the Marine Department amounted to 20 items. In addition, the departmental legislative programme comprised a further seven items at present under consideration.
Roads
Despite heavy summer rainfall, highways construction proceeded satisfactorily. During the year $236.3 million was spent on construction of major highway projects