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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 14, 1984
+UNDER THE CODE, ALL ASPECTS OF THE CONSTRUCTION, OPERATION, MAINTENANCE AND SUPERVISION ARE SPECIFIED. ALSO, RESTRICTIONS ARE PLACED ON THE LENGTH OF THE IR VOYAGE AND THE STATE OF THE SEA IN WHICH THESE CRAFT MAY OPERATE, THE SPOKESMAN EXPLAINED.
ATTENTION IS BEING FOCUSSED ON THE CRAFT PLYING BETWEEN HONG KONG AND MACAU, BY FAR THE LONGEST ESTABLISHED AND BUSIEST ROUTE FOR THESE VESSELS. ·
+EXPERIENCE HAS SHOWN THAT ACCIDENTS INVOLVING DYNAMICALLY SUPPORTED CRAFT ARE MORE LIKELY TO OCCUR ON THIS ROUTE, THE SPOKESMAN SAID.
SINCE THE FIRST HYDROFOIL WAS REGISTERED IN HONG KONG IN MARCH 1964, THE HIGH-SPEED CRAFT FLEET SERVING HONG KONG HAS GROWN TO 62 VESSELS, 56 OF THEM REGISTERED OR LICENSED HERE AND THE REMAINING SIX FLYING THE CHINESE FLAG.
TRAFFIC BETWEEN HONG KONG AND MACAU HAD EXPANDED RAPIDLY OVER THE YEARS, FROM 3.1 MILLION PASSENGERS IN 1976 TO 6.8 MILLION LAST YEAR, THE SPOKESMAN SAID.
IN ADDITION, ABOUT 3.1 MILLION PASSENGERS TRAVELLED WITHIN HONG KONG WATERS LAST YEAR, AND ANOTHER 600 000 PASSENGERS BETWEEN HONG KONG AND THE CHINESE RIVER PORTS OF HUANGPU AND ZHUHA 1.
+DYNAMICALLY SUPPORTED CRAFT THUS CARRIED A TOTAL OF 10.5 MILLION PASSENGERS LAST YEAR. THIS TRAFFIC IS EXPECTED TO GROW FURTHER STILL. FOR INSTANCE
FOR INSTANCE, IN THE FIRST HALF OF THIS YEAR, THEY CARRIED 3.6 MILLION PASSENGERS BETWEEN HONG KONG AND MACAU ALONE,+ THE SPOKESMAN SAID.
ALREADY, THE DEPARTMENT HAS INTRODUCED FURTHER +TRAFF IC SEPARATION SCHEMES+ TO DEFINE ROUTES BETWEEN HONG KONG AND MACAU TO ENSURE THAT THE POSSIBILITY OF COLLISION IS REDUCED TO THE MINIMUM.
AMONG THE MORE IMPORTANT MEASURES BEING IMPLEMENTED ARE:
* THE ESTABLISHMENT OF MEDICAL STANDARDS FOR ALL CREW
*
MEMBERS.
+
THE SETTING UP OF AN INDEPENDENT RADIO NETWORK TO COMMUNICATE WITH ALL DYNAMICALLY SUPPORTED CRAFT OVER THE ENTIRE ROUTE BETWEEN HONG KONG AND MACAU. THIS WILL BE USED TO MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF CRAFT DURING THE IR VOYAGE.
* THE EXTENSION OF STRICTER BRIDGE ROUTINES AND PROCEDURES,
NOW IN FORCE FOR NIGHT CREWS, TO DAY-TIME CREWS.
* STRICT CONTROL OVER WORK HOURS FOR OFFICERS.
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