XN000022-1986-04-29 — Page 3

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TUESDAY, APRIL 29, 1986

HOWEVER THE GROUP DECIDED AGAINST RECOMMENDING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AN INDEPENDENT SEARCH AND RESCUE CENTRE WITH A PERMANENT DIRECTOR AND STAFF.

MR WOODHOUSE EXPLAINED, HOWEVER, THAT BY IMPLEMENTING IMPROVEMENTS TO THE EXISTING SYSTEM THE PROBLEMS IDENTIFIED BY THE MARINE COURT OF INQUIRY WHICH HAD LED THEM TO RECOMMEND SUCH A CENTRE WERE OVERCOME.

IN EXPLAINING THE IMPROVEMENT MEASURES, MR WOODHOUSE POINTED OUT THAT THE INDICATION OF A POSSIBLE DISTRESS SITUATION USUALLY TOOK THE FORM OF ELECTRONIC SIGNALS ORIGINATING FROM AN EMERGENCY POSITION INDICATING RADIO BEACON. IN FUTURE, THE CIVIL AVIATION DEPARTMENT WILL BE VESTED WITH THE RESPONSIBILITY TO INITIATE AIR SEARCHES WHEN EMERGENCY ELECTRONIC SIGNALS ARE REPORTED BY AIRCRAFT IN THE HONG KONG FLIGHT INFORMATION REGION, IRRESPECTIVE OF WHETHER THE SIGNALS ARE ORIGINATING FROM A VESSEL OR AN AIRCRAFT IN DISTRESS.

AT THE SAME TIME, THE MARINE DEPARTMENT WILL BE FOREWARNED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF A FULL-SCALE SEARCH AND RESCUE OPERATION. ONCE THE SOURCE OF THE SIGNALS IS LOCATED INDICATING A VESSEL IN DISTRESS, THE DIRECTOR OF CIVIL AVIATION WILL HAND OVER -RESPONSIBILITY TO THE DIRECTOR OF MARINE AS THE SEARCH

DIRECTOR TO PLAN AND TO CO-ORDINATE ENSUING RESCUE OPERATIONS.

IT IS IMPORTANT THAT SUCH PLANNING AND CO-ORDINATION IS CARRIED OUT BY OFFICERS OF THE MARINE DEPARTMENT WITH EXPERTISE AS REGARDS SHIPS. SHOULD THE SEARCH FOR THE EMERGENCY SIGNAL INDICATE THAT AN AIRCRAFT IS IN DISTRESS, THE DIRECTOR OF CIVIL AVIATION WILL BECOME THE SEARCH DIRECTOR.

MR WOODHOUSE EMPHASISED THAT THESE REVISED ARRANGEMENTS WOULD ENSURE A SPEEDY RESPONSE AFTER THE RECEIPT OF REPORTS OF EMERGENCY SIGNALS.

MR WOODHOUSE WENT ON TO SAY THAT IN FUTURE, THE DIRECTOR OF MARINE WILL BECOME THE SEARCH DIRECTOR FOR SHIPS IN DISTRESS IRRESPECTIVE WHETHER THEY ARE INSIDE OR OUTSIDE HONG KONG WATERS.

HE ADDED THAT IT WAS APPRECIATED THAT MANY INCIDENTS IN HONG KONG WATERS INVOLVED SMALL CRAFT OR SWIMMERS AND, INITIALLY, AT LEAST, MAY NOT REQUIRE ANYTHING MORE THAN A SMALL LOCAL SEARCH BY THE NEAREST MARINE POLICE VESSEL.

ACCORDINGLY, THE MARINE POLICE HEADQUARTERS HAS BEEN DESIGNATED AS A MARITIME RESCUE SUB-CENTRE, RESPONSIBLE FOR INITIATING SEARCHES OF SUCH MINOR INCIDENTS. THEY WOULD ALSO INFORM THE DIRECTOR OF MARINE OF THEIR ACTION SO THAT THE DIRECTOR OF MARINE COULD, IF THE SITUATION APPEARED TO WARRANT IT, ASSUME THE DUTIES OF SEARCH DIRECTOR,

/MR WOODHOUSE