ENG-1966 — Page 250

184

COMMUNICATIONS

and from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the western anchorage. Ships are cleared as soon as they arrive and in the case of large passenger ships im- migration processing is continued en route to the berth so that a minimum of delay is caused to passengers wishing to disembark. Radio pratique may also be granted in certain cases and this ar- rangement is especially important to the operators of oil tankers as it allows cargo work to commence as soon as the ship is berthed.

Signal stations on Waglan Island and other points in the harbour and approaches are continuously manned. All movements are reported to the Port Control Office, where staff are available at all times to deal with emergencies and queries. The signal stations are in communication by radio-telephone with marine and port health launches and indirectly with police, immigration, fire services and preventive services. Vessels at buoys and wharves may hire radio- telephones commercially to link up with the public telephone services. As a precaution against fire in ships or waterfront premises, a fleet of fire-floats is manned by the Fire Services Department and, in addition, many government and commercial tugs are fitted with fire-fighting monitors.

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Port activity in 1966 again showed an increased movement of shipping, the volume of imports, exports and transhipment cargoes all remaining at a high level. Details of vessels entered and cleared during the year, together with figures of cargo loaded and dis- charged, are in Appendix XXXVIII, which also shows the number of passengers, including emigrants, who landed and embarked. Regular and frequent services are maintained by many well-known and old-established shipping lines, some 20 companies providing regular sailings to Europe and a similar number to the North American continent. There are also regular services to Australian, New Zealand, South African, South American and Asian ports. Frequent and fast services are maintained to Macau by ferries and hydrofoils. Proposals have been voiced by companies operating passenger transport facilities to Macau for the introduction of hover- craft services, and these proposals have been studied by the Marine and Civil Aviation Departments.

The Marine Department maintains 66 moorings for ocean-going vessels. Of these, 39 are classified as suitable for use by vessels up