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TRANSPORT
There are extensive facilities for repairing, maintaining and dry-docking or slipping all types of vessels, including oil rigs, up to about 230 metres in length and 27 metres beam. Five floating dry-docks are located off Tsing Yi Island; the largest is capable of lifting vessels up to 100 000 tonnes deadweight. Hong Kong has a large number of minor shipyards equipped to undertake repairs to small vessels. These yards also build specialised craft including sophisticated pleasure craft and yachts.
Hong Kong is a prominent centre for the recruiting of seamen. The Seamen's Recruiting Office and the Mercantile Marine Office register and supervise the employment of approximately 12 000 active seamen on board some 950 ships of many flags. Considerable attention has been given to providing more comprehensive training for Hong Kong seamen. In this respect, a temporary seamen's training centre was established in early 1984 at Little Sai Wan to provide additional in-service training to comply with the requirements of the International Convention on Training and Certification of Seafarers 1978 under the auspices of the International Maritime Organisation. This convention was extended to Hong Kong in November 1984, in addition to the International Labour Organisation Convention No 147 which was extended in July 1983. Both these conventions led to the enactment of several new sets of regulations.
The Examination Centre conducts a wide range of examinations for candidates wishing to prove their competency in the operation of various sizes and types of vessels sailing world-wide or plying within local waters. In addition, the centre inspects, supervises, and monitors all aspects of training at approved establishments for the acquisition of various maritime qualifications recognised by the Hong Kong Government.
The Mariners' Clubs in Kowloon and Kwai Chung provide recreation and welfare facilities of a high standard to visiting seamen of all nationalities.
During the year, a Marine Court of Inquiry reported on the sinking with the loss of eight crew members of the barquentine Osprey during the passage of Typhoon Ellen in September 1983. The court made a number of specific recommendations covering, inter alia, improvements to existing arrangements for assisting vessels in distress in the waters. around Hong Kong. The recommendations were being actively considered by the govern- ment at the close of 1984.
Civil Aviation
Air travel gathered momentum once again following the general recovery from a world- wide economic recession. Passenger traffic increased by about 7.6 per cent compared with the preceding year's growth of only 2.37 per cent. Air cargo carriage remained buoyant, recording further significant growth of 14.1 per cent over 1983.
A total of 9.5 million passengers passed through Hong Kong International Airport, about 672 000 more than in 1983. General cargo including manufactured products imported, exported and re-exported by air totalled 420 000 tonnes, an increase of 14.1 per cent over 1983.
The value of goods transported by air rose by 26.7 per cent to $109,000 million. Compared with Hong Kong's total trade in import, export and re-export in terms of value, imports by air accounted for about 21 per cent, exports for about 29 per cent and re-exports for about 22 per cent. As in previous years, the United States continued to be the major market for Hong Kong's exports and re-exports by air, taking about 51 per cent and 20 per cent of the trade respectively. About 25 per cent of Hong Kong's imports by air came from Japan.
The number of airlines using Hong Kong International Airport and the frequencies of flights operated to and from Hong Kong remained steady throughout the year. At the end