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COMMUNICATIONS AND TRANSPORT
Navigational aids in the harbour and approaches are constantly being improved to ensure greater safety. All fairway buoys are lit and many beacons are fitted with radar reflectors. Marine Department signal stations at Waglan Island, Green Island, North Point and the Port Communications Centre are all inter-connected by telephone, radio-telephone and teleprinter circuits. The Marine Department operates a con- tinuous VHF radio-telephone port operations service based on international maritime frequencies, which gives comprehensive marine communications throughout the har- bour and its approaches. In May, Marine Department teleprinter facilities were linked directly to users on a world-wide basis. There is also a continuously monitored disaster network that links the Marine Department's Search and Rescue Co-ordination Centre with aircraft of the Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force and military helicopters, marine police and fire services launches and other similar facilities. In the event of a vessel getting into difficulties in the South China Sea, within about 1,300 kilometres of Hong Kong, the Marine Department is able to act as a rescue co-ordinating centre. In October, the Director of Marine accepted the final report of a Canadian consultant company on the feasibility of establishing an electronic surveillance system for the port of Hong Kong.
A watch on shipping, fairways, typhoon shelters and cargo working areas is kept by Marine Department launch patrols. The launches are in continuous radio contact with the Port Communications Centre, enabling the centre to initiate and co-ordinate any action required in unusual circumstances. A fleet of fire-fighting vessels operated by the Fire Services Department is kept in a state of readiness, and units are stationed on both sides of the harbour.
Good bunkering facilities are provided in the port, and vessels may be supplied with fuel oil either from wharves at oil terminals or from a fleet of harbour oilers. Fresh water is obtainable at commercial wharves or from waterboats that service vessels at anchor or at government mooring buoys. A harbour telephone service is available at buoys and wharves.
There are extensive facilities in Hong Kong for repairing, maintaining and dry- docking or slipping all types and classes of vessels up to about 35,500 tonnes dead- weight and up to 228 metres in length and 26.8 metres in beam. Plans to expand some of these facilities and to transfer them from the central harbour area to a new location on the west coast of Tsing Yi Island were developed during the year. There are three floating dry docks off Tsing Yi, the largest of which has a lifting capacity of 100,000 tonnes deadweight. Hong Kong has more than 130 minor shipyards equipped to undertake repairs to small vessels. These yards also build specialised craft, particularly sophisticated pleasure craft and yachts.
Hong Kong is a prominent centre for recruiting seamen. The Seamen's Recruiting Office and the Mercantile Marine Office register and supervise the employment of 22,000 seamen on board 1,400 vessels of all flags. The Hong Kong Merchant Navy Training Board met twice in 1978 and the training needs of local seamen continued to be assessed in order to improve training standards and thereby enhance employment prospects. The board comprises 16 members including representatives of relevant government departments, seamen's training schools, and employer and employee associations. Six specialist sub-committees, each dealing with a separate area in the training of seafarers, met regularly throughout the year. The Mariners' Clubs in