ENG-2010 — Page 325

Transport 271

Government Fleet and Dockyard

Government Fleet

The government fleet, with over 700 vessels of different types and sizes, including 111 major mechanised vessels and large-type high speed craft, serves 14 government departments including the Hong Kong Police Force, the Customs and Excise Department and the Fire Services Department. Some of the user departments manage their specially-built vessels. The Government Fleet Division of the Marine Department controls and manages 62 vessels, of which 43 are provided with manning by the department. These include patrol launches, conveyance launches, pontoons and some specialised vessels, such as hydrographic survey launches and explosives carriers. These vessels either support the department's own operations or serve other departments that do not have their own fleets.

port

Since 1999, the department has awarded contracts to private operators to provide conveyance launches, tugboats and other marine transport services for the department. At present, it has 26 contracted vessels.

Government Dockyard

The Government Dockyard, managed by the Government Fleet Division, is responsible for the design, procurement and maintenance of all government vessels. It occupies a site of 9.8 hectares on Stonecutters Island and has a protected water basin of 8.3 hectares as one of the operational bases of the Marine Department. For repair and maintenance of vessels, the dockyard has four movable canopies, 12 covered docking and repair sheds and over 22 open-yard docking cradle spaces, supported by a ship-lift system and three ship-hoists capable of dry docking vessels of up to 750 tonnes.

During the year, 40 new vessels, costing $79 million, were built for the Government and 12 new shipbuilding contracts, worth $4 million, were awarded to shipbuilders in Hong Kong and overseas. The total expenditure in maintaining the Government Dockyard systems and Government fleet is close to $409 million.

Marine Facilities

Hong Kong is one of the world's busiest ports, and marine civil works are essential to keep the port running smoothly. The Civil Engineering and Development Department carries out maintenance work on public landing steps and ferry piers. and other public and government marine facilities, as well as ensuring regular maintenance dredging of the harbour, navigation channels and major river channels. The department currently maintains 506 hectares of typhoon shelters, seven kilometres of quays at public cargo working areas, 123 kilometres of seawalls and breakwaters, 314 piers and landing steps, 101 dolphins (mooring structures), 14 100 hectares of fairways and 3 590 hectares of anchorage areas.

The department is also responsible for the planning, design and construction of public marine facilities. In 2010, the department completed construction of a new slipway at Tai O and continued the planning of a new public landing facility at Lei Yue Mun.