ENG-1981 — Page 245

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COMMUNICATIONS AND TRANSPORT

Within the port, there are 71 mooring buoys provided and maintained by the Marine Department for ocean-going vessels. Of these 44 are suitable for vessels of up to 183 metres in length while the remainder are suitable for ships up to 135 metres. The moorings include 57 special typhoon buoys, which are so located that ships can remain secured to them during tropical storms. This obviates unnecessary ship movements and helps to maintain efficiency and reduce operational costs. Safe anchorages are available for deep-draught vessels.

There is considerable tourist and other sea passenger traffic between Hong Kong and Macau, and in 1981 more than 7.3 million passengers were carried by the jetfoils, hydrofoils and conventional ferries plying this route. A further 139 000 passengers were carried on the hoverferry service between Hong Kong and Guangzhou in China.

For ships calling at Hong Kong, quarantine and immigration facilities are available on a 24-hour basis at the Western Quarantine Anchorage, and from 6.30 am to 6 pm at the Eastern Quarantine Anchorage. Ships are normally cleared inwards on arrival and large passenger vessels are processed on the way to their allocated berths. Advance immigration clearance and radio pratique may be obtained by certain vessels on application.

Surveyors of the Marine Department Ship Safety Division are available to survey any British or foreign ship for the issue of safety certificates under the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, (SOLAS) 1974, and other international safety conventions. The division also provides a plan approval service and surveyors travel world-wide to complete statutory surveys on vessels intended for British registry in the port of Hong Kong. Examinations for certificates of competency as deck and marine engineer officer are held regularly on scheduled dates; these certificates are recognised by the United Kingdom Department of Trade and are entitled to receive Commonwealth validity. The division also promotes safe-working practices in shipbuilding, ship-repairing, shipbreaking and ship- board cargo handling in Hong Kong waters and continuously monitors these activities and investigates marine industrial accidents.

Pilotage in Hong Kong is not compulsory, but is considered advisable because of the density of traffic and the scale of harbour works continually undertaken.The Pilotage Authority in Hong Kong is the Director of Marine.

All the navigation buoys in Hong Kong waters are in uniformity with the International Association of Lighthouse Authorities (IALA) Maritime Buoyage System 'A' and all fairway buoys are lit and fitted with radar reflectors. Other aids to navigation in the harbour and its approaches are constantly being improved to ensure greater safety and the programmed conversion to solar power of a number of light beacons is proving very successful. Marine Department signal stations at Waglan Island, Green Island, North Point and the Port Communications Centre are all interconnected by telephone, radiotele- phone and teleprinter circuits. The Marine Department operates a continuous VHF radio-telephone port operations service based on international maritime frequencies which gives comprehensive marine communications throughout the harbour and its approaches and the development of an electronic based marine traffic surveillance capability is now under detailed consideration. Marine Department teleprinter/telex facilities are linked directly to users on a worldwide basis. There is also a continuously monitored disaster network which links the Marine Department's Search and Rescue Co-ordination Centre to aircraft of the Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force and military helicopters, marine police and fire services launches and other similar facilities. In the event of a vessel experiencing difficulties in the South China Sea, within about 1 300 kilometres of Hong Kong, the Marine Department is able to act as a rescue co-ordinating centre.

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