TUESDAY, MAY 1, 1979
+THE COURT CONDEMNS SUCH PRACTICE WHICH MUST BE CONSIDERED UTTERLY RECKLESS AND IRRESPONSIBLE.+
THE COURT ALSO POINTED OUT THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE TO SUGGEST THAT THE OPERATION OF THE COMPANY'S HYDROFOILS WERE EFFECTIVELY MONITORED.
REFERRING TO THE MASTER WHO GAVE EVIDENCE OF EXCESSIVE SPEED IN RESTRICTED VISIBILITY, THE COURT SAID THAT A SIMPLE SURVEY OF LOG BOOK TIMES IN CONJUNCTION WITH WEATHER REPORTS WOULD HAVE PROVIDED SUFFICIENT INDICATION WHETHER THE IR VESSELS WERE PROCEEDING AT SAFE SPEED IN RESTRICTED VISIBILITY.
TRAFFIC SEPARATION SCHEME
THE MARINE DEPARTMENT, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE HYDROFOIL OPERATORS, SHOULD GIVE ACTIVE CONSIDERATION TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF FURTHER TRAFFIC SEPARATION SCHEMES, WHEREBY HYDROFOILS MIGHT BE ROUTED TO THE SOUTH OF CHEUNG CHAU WHEN CONDITIONS OF POOR OR DETERIORATING VISIBILITY PREVAIL.
COMMUNICATIONS
IN ADDITION TO BEING EQUIPPED TO MONITOR PORT CONTROL FACILITIES AT HONG KONG AND MACAU, DYNAMICALLY SUPPORTED CRAFT, AND POSSIBLY CONVENTIONAL FERRIES, SHOULD BE EQUIPPED SEPARATELY TO MONITOR A SPECIFIED FREQUENCY WHICH WOULD CATER FOR CONTINGENCIES SUCH AS MARINE DISASTER.
REFERRING TO THE CODE OF SAFETY, THE COURT SAID IT HAD REFRAINED FROM MAKING ANY GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS.
+ IN A STATEMENT TO THIS COURT CONCERNING THE CODE OF SAFETY, COUNSEL FOR THE DIRECTOR OF MARINE ADVISED THAT IT WAS NOT POSSIBLE TO GIVE ANY FIRM STATEMENT REGARDING THE DATE OF IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CODE FOR DYNAMICALLY SUPPORTED CRAFT IN HONG KONG OR TO STATE WHETHER THE WHOLE OR ANY PARTS OF THE CODE WOULD BE GIVEN LEGISLATIVE EFFECT, THE COURT SAID.
+BUT IN VIEW OF THE SIZEABLE HONG KONG HYDROFOIL FLEET AND THE LARGE NUMBERS OF PASSENGERS CARRIED ANNUALLY, THIS COURT URGES THE MARINE DEPARTMENT TO TAKE POSITIVE ACTION IN CONSULTATION WITH THE U.K. DEPARTMENT OF TRADE TO ENSURE THE EARLY ADOPTION OF THE SECTIONS (OF THE CODE) RELEVANT TO HONG KONG.*
15 ...