XN000022-1996-12-12 — Page 17

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All other fairways adjoining the Central Fairway will also be reverted to their original alignments in the same exercise. The navigational and special marker buoys demarcating the Central Fairway and the related fairways will be relocated starting from 10 am on Monday.

Mr Tupper was pleased that the marine accidents remained at an acceptable level even though the normal pattern of traffic was disrupted when the marine works were in progress.

"The effort by the Marine Department to maintain the safety of the harbour and the co-operation from the port users to make our port a safe one have paid off," he said.

As part of its effort to maintain a safe harbour when the marine works are in progress, the department has marked the works areas with special marker buoys to guide masters.

"We issue them with notices from time to time to inform them the changes and the new arrangements. At the same time we deploy additional patrol launches to give on-the-spot advice and regulate traffic," he said.

To keep the traffic volume at an acceptable level, the department discouraged ocean-going vessels from transiting the central harbour, Mr Tupper said.

In addition it mounted a series of marine safety campaigns in the central harbour and organised seminars for masters to remind them of the rules of the road.

As a safety precaution, navigational warnings on the fairway realignment will be broadcast at regular intervals and additional patrol launches will be deployed to regulate traffic.

For the first three days after the fairway reversion, marine works in the vicinity of the Central Fairway will be suspended.

times.

Mr Tupper appealed to masters and operators of vessels to be vigilant at all

"They tend to relax when the marine works areas begin to disappear, but that does not mean they can be less watchful," he said.

End