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TRANSPORT

There are extensive facilities for repairing, maintaining and dry-docking or slipping all types of vessels, including oil rigs, up to about 230 metres in length and 27 metres beam. Five floating dry-docks are located off Tsing Yi Island, the largest being capable of lifting vessels up to 40 000 tonnes deadweight. Hong Kong has a large number of minor shipyards equipped to undertake repairs to small vessels. These yards also build specialised craft, including sophisticated patrol craft and pleasure vessels.

Hong Kong is a prominent centre for the recruiting of seafarers. The Seamen's Recruiting Office and the Mercantile Marine Office register and supervise the employment of approximately 9 500 active seafarers on board some 750 ships of many flags. Consider- able attention has been given to providing more comprehensive training for Hong Kong seafarers and, in this respect, the temporary seamen's training centre at Little Sai Wan provides additional in-service training to comply with the requirements of the International Convention on Training and Certification of Seafarers. Construction of permanent premises for the Seamen's Training Centre has started, and this centre should open in mid-1987.

The Examination Section conducts a wide range of examinations for candidates wishing to obtain certificates of competency for use on various sizes and types of vessels sailing world-wide or plying within local waters. In addition, the section inspects, supervises, and monitors all aspects of training at approved establishments for the acquisition of various maritime qualifications recognised by the Hong Kong Government.

The Mariners' Clubs in Kowloon and Kwai Chung provide recreation and welfare facilities of a high standard to visiting seamen of all nationalities.

Civil-Aviation

The Civil Aviation Department is responsible for all aspects of civil aviation in Hong Kong apart from the licensing of scheduled air services which falls to the Air Transport Licensing Authority, an independent statutory body. The department consists of five divisions dealing with air traffic control, aviation safety, technical matters and planning, inter- national relations governing air services and management of the Hong Kong International Airport. It is provided with accounting services to control revenue and expenditure, and with office management services for staff establishment, discipline and welfare.

Hong Kong's single-runway airport is the product of a continuous programme of modification and development to meet the rapid growth in air traffic and the introduction of new aircraft. A full range of facilities is available including aircraft engineering, in-flight catering and one of the largest air freight complexes in Asia.

Signature of the Hong Kong/Netherlands Air Services Agreement on September 17 marked the beginning of a new and important era in Hong Kong's civil aviation history. This is the first in a series of air service agreements governing the operation of scheduled services which Hong Kong aims to conclude with other governments in the coming years. These agreements have been specifically designed with the relevant provisions in mind of the Joint Declaration on the future of Hong Kong.

At Hong Kong International Airport an increase in passenger traffic of 7.8 per cent was recorded in 1986, compared with 3.1 per cent in 1985. A total of 10.6 million passengers passed through the airport in 1986, compared with 9.8 million the previous year, and this was the first time ever that the annual passenger throughput exceeded the 10 000 000 mark. General cargo including manufactured goods imported, exported and re-exported by air totalled 536 000 tonnes compared with 430 000 tonnes in 1985. The value of airborne goods totalled $122,927 million. Viewed against Hong Kong's total trade in imports, exports and

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