TRANSPORT
Local Craft
Harbour workboats are essential to the efficient running of the port, and Hong Kong has many of them. Over 1 600 lighters and 500 motorised cargo boats transport cargo between ocean-going ships at mooring buoys or in anchorages and cargo-working areas ashore. They are part of Hong Kong's fleet of 16 000 local craft, including ferries, barges, workboats, fishing boats and pleasure vessels.
The Marine Department sets and enforces safety standards for local craft. The requirements for certification, safety and control are being rationalised to enhance safety, by clearly delineating the duties and responsibilities of owners, operators and the government. Reclamations such as the Central and Wan Chai reclamation have also increased pressures on local craft navigating the harbour. Special detailed traffic measures were adopted to ease such pressures in Central and Wan Chai so that passenger ferries and other vessels could continue to operate safely from the existing piers and landing steps, respectively, while reclamation proceeded around them. Eventually, the piers and public landing steps will be relocated in the reclamation itself.
Government Fleet
The government fleet of 341 powered vessels is highly visible in the port. In addition to harbour patrol launches, fire boats and police vessels, the government has launches used for immigration, port health and customs clearance, and surveys of international shipping. The fleet also includes lighters, airport rescue craft, pollution control craft, floating clinics and launches for transporting government staff.
The department designs, procures and maintains all government vessels. It has a rolling 10-year development plan to replace old vessels and provide new ones as they are needed. In 1994, the department awarded 10 vessel construction contracts, worth $90 million, to shipbuilders in Hong Kong and overseas.
Shipping
Hong Kong is a prominent centre for ship-owning, ship-financing and ship-management. Members of the Hong Kong Shipowners Association control a significant percentage of the world's shipping tonnage. At the end of 1994, their fleet stood at 1 300 ocean-going vessels, totalling 37 million GRT. These ships are registered under many flags, but principally with the Hong Kong, Panamanian and Liberian registers of ships.
The association represents the interests of many local shipping interests in international shipping affairs. In addition to shipowners, its members include banks, classification societies, maritime lawyers, average adjusters, shipbrokers, shipbuilders, insurers and surveyors. This broad-based membership provides a particularly effective forum for liaison on current shipping issues with government and international organisations.
Hong Kong's Shipping Register
The Hong Kong Shipping Register is administered by the Marine Department. It recognises the commercial realities of the shipping industry but, more importantly, reflects the government's commitment to the highest international standards of maritime safety and environmental protection. Its supporting legislation embodies international standards for vessel construction, equipment and manning, and is consistent with the territory's
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