TRANSPORT
government fleet. In 2000, 16 vessels, costing $133 million, were delivered to the Government and 15 new building contracts, worth $346 million, were awarded to shipbuilders in Hong Kong and overseas.
Code of Practice for Shiphoard Container Handling
The Marine Department has drafted a Code of Practice for providing safe working guidance to workers engaged in container handling operations in mid-stream, based on the recommendations of a consultancy study completed in September 1999. The Code of Practice provides guidance on such matters as managing safety at work, safety procedures for working on the top of containers and personal protective clothing and equipment. It will be implemented after consultation with the industry is completed.
Shipping
The Hong Kong Shipping Register
The Hong Kong Shipping Register (HKSR) is administered by the Marine Department. The register's supporting legislation embodies international standards under the International Maritime Organisation, the International Labour Organisation and other international conventions applicable to Hong Kong. The Shipping Consultative Committee, which consists of representatives of major shipowners, shipping law firms and seafarers unions in Hong Kong, advises the Director of Marine on the efficient operation of the register.
The improvement measures that were implemented since April 1999 to make the HKSR more user-friendly, cost effective and efficient have attracted overwhelming support from the industry. At the end of 2000, the register had drawn 577 vessels with a total of 10.4 million gross registered tones, representing a 64 per cent growth in tonnage since April 1999.
The HKSR has maintained its reputation as a register of high quality. Hong Kong registered ships continue to have a very low detention rate under Port State Control inspections. While statutory surveys on passenger ships are undertaken by Marine Department surveyors, statutory surveys on cargo ships are fully delegated to accredited classification societies. The Marine Department maintains its monitoring role on the performance of shipping companies and classification societies by means of a Flag State Quality Control (FSQC) System which ensures that international standards are met by Hong Kong registered ships.
During the year, 15 FSQC inspections and six FSQC audits were carried out by the Marine Department. Ships and companies continued to be selected manually for inspection and audit in accordance with agreed criteria while the FSQC Computer Information System was being developed.
The first phase of this information system was completed in June and information collected from various sources was transferred to its database for processing. The second phase of the software development programme commenced in October. The system will be commissioned by March 2001.
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