TRANSPORT
made good before the ship sailed from Hong Kong. Spot checks were also carried out by the Mercantile Marine Office to confirm compliance with the International Convention on Standards of Training Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 1978.
A plan-approval and survey service is also provided for local shipping, including one of the world's largest fleets of high-technology fast passenger boats, (dynamically-supported craft comprising jetfoils, hydrofoils, side-wall hovercraft and catamarans). Vessels plying within the waters of Hong Kong need to be licensed under the Shipping and Port Control Ordinance and these too are inspected and issued with certificates. A major review of the procedures and requirements for the certification of local craft is under way with the intention of developing a rationalised approach to the safety and control of the many disparate types of craft operating in Hong Kong.
The Examination Section of the Marine Department conducts a wide range of examinations for persons requiring certificates of competency for service on vessels of all sizes and types operating in international and local waters. The section also monitors all aspects of training at approved establishments for the acquisition of various maritime qualifications recognised by the Hong Kong Government and required by international conventions.
A current major concern of the government and Hong Kong shipowners is the falling recruitment of local seafarers. This is being examined by representative sectors of the local shipping community in order to safeguard the future of the industry. The Marine Department and the Hong Kong Shipowners' Association have mounted concerted efforts to stimulate the recruitment of trainee officers and to enhance the image of seafaring careers through appropriate publicity.
As an important centre for recruiting seafarers, the Marine Department's Seamen's Recruiting Office and the Mercantile Marine Office register and supervise the employment of about 4 500 active seafarers on board some 700 ships of many flags. Considerable attention has been given to provide more comprehensive training for Hong Kong seafarers and, in this respect, the Seamen's Training Centre at Tai Lam Chung in the New Territories provides training courses for new entrants and in-service training for seaman to comply with the requirements of the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 1978.
(Details of International Movements of Vessels, Passengers and Cargo are given at Appendix 37.)
Hong Kong Shipping Register
Ships registered in Hong Kong follow similar standards of construction, safety and manning to those registered in the United Kingdom. This has hitherto been accomplished by the extension of United Kingdom legislation to Hong Kong, and reliance on the United Kingdom Department of Transport to determine shipping policy and formulate legislation to give effect to new international conventions. However, this cannot continue beyond 1997, and the Sino-British Joint Declaration provides for the future Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to maintain a shipping register under its own legislation.
Detailed arrangements for the establishment of an autonomous Hong Kong register in advance of 1997 were developed by a steering group comprising government and non-government representatives and were subsequently approved by the Governor on the advice of the Executive Council in June 1990. These arrangements formed the basis of the
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