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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 1976
THE NAVIGATIONAL AIDS SECTION HAD A BUSY WORK SCHEDULE LAST YEAR STRENGTHENING AND RE-ALIGNING TO BETTER POSITIONS LIGHTS IN THE WESTERN APPROACHES TO THE HARBOUR.
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THIS ROUTE PASSES THROUGH EAST LAMMA CHANNEL TO GREEN ISLAND AND IS AN ALTERNATIVE TO THE EASTERN PASSAGE FROM WAGLAN ISLAND TO LEI YUE MUN THROUGH TATHONG CHANNEL.
BEACONS IN THE EAST LAMMA CHANNEL, AT AP LEI PAI, YUEN KOK SHEK KOK TSUI, WONG CHUK KOK AND PAK LAP PAI WAS INSTALLED WITH MORE POWERFUL LIGHTS, WITH RANGES EXTENDING FROM FIVE OR SEVEN MILES TO TEN MILES, OR FROM 14 MILES TO 20 MILES.
AN EXISTING BEACON ON KAU YI CHAU, FURTHER TO THE NORTH, WILL ALSO BE ALTERED TO HOUSE A BIGGER AND MORE EFFECTIVE MARINE LANTERN.
THESE IMPROVEMENTS HAVE ENABLED VESSELS USING THE WESTERN ROUTE, PARTICULARLY TANKERS AND CONTAINER SHIPS MAKING THEIR WAY TO KWÁI CHUNG TERMINAL, TO PROCEED WITH ADDED SAFETY.
THE SPOKESMAN CONTINUED: +OUR NAVIGATIONAL AIDS ARE CONTINUOUSLY BEING REPLACED AND REINFORCED TO MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF EXPANDING SHIPPING AND TO FIT IN WITH THE INCREASING SOPHISTICA- TION OF COMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT ON MODERN VESSELS.
+A DEPARTMENTAL STANDING COMMITTEE ON NAVIGATIONAL AIDS MEETS FREQUENTLY THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. IT REVIEWS EXISTING INSTALLATIONS AND CONSIDERS IMPROVEMENTS AND ADDITIONAL AIDS.+
AT THE END OF MARCH THIS YEAR, THE SECTION HAD UNDER ITS MAINTENANCE 224 VARIOUS TYPES OF NAVIGATIONAL AID FOR THE BENEFIT OF SHIPS AND SMALL CRAFT IN HONG KONG WATERS, AN INCREASE OF 30 OVER LAST YEAR.
THE FURTHEST OF THESE, IN KAT O AND PING CHAU IN MIRS BAY, ARE SOME 40 MILES FROM THE SECTION'S OPERATIONAL BASE IN THE GOVERNMENT DOCKYARD COMPLEX IN YAU MA TEI,
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