ENG-2011 — Page 319

Transport 275

The Tuen Mun Immigration Anchorage operates round-the-clock for river-trade vessels plying between Hong Kong and Pearl River Delta ports. Pre-arrival clearance has been extended to all Mainland river- and coastal-trade vessels. Operators of such vessels may submit pre-arrival clearance applications to the Immigration Department's Harbour Control Section.

Mooring Buoys

The Marine Department provides a total of 17 mooring buoys for ship operation, including 13 Class 'A' buoys for vessels of up to 183 metres long and four class 'B' buoys for vessels of up to 137 metres long. Buoy bookings may be made through the Vessel Traffic Centre.

Bunkering and Potable Water Supply

Bunkering is readily available at commercial wharves and oil terminals or from a large fleet of private bunkering barges. Bunker supplies meet the latest requirements under Annex VI of the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (also known as the MARPOL Convention). Fresh water can also be supplied alongside berths or from a fleet of private water boats.

Local Vessels Safety Certification Service

The Local Vessels Safety Section provides survey and certification services for local vessels to make sure they comply with safety and pollution prevention requirements. Under the Merchant Shipping (Local Vessels) Ordinance implemented in 2007, the plan approval and ship survey work for certain types of local vessels may be carried out by recognised authorities, organisations or professionals authorised by the Marine Department.

Public Cargo Working Areas

The Marine Department manages six public cargo working areas, which are open to cargo operators for loading and unloading cargo onto and from barges and coasters. The combined length of berths in these working areas is about 5 000

metres.

Collection of Marine Refuse and Waste

The Marine Department's contractors collect domestic refuse from both ocean- going vessels and local vessels. Sewage and oily chemical waste are collected from ships by registered collectors. The collected sewage is taken to the sewage treatment facility in the harbour for disposal, and the oily chemical waste is shipped to the Chemical Waste Treatment Centre on Tsing Yi Island for treatment.

Combating Oil Pollution

The Marine Department maintains a maritime oil spill response plan to ensure a timely and effective response to oil spills in Hong Kong waters.

The department has a co-operation arrangement with the port administration of Guangdong, Shenzhen and Macao, under which they adopt the Regional Maritime Oil Spill from Ship Response Plan for the Pearl River Estuary as the action guide for regional co-operation on response to major maritime oil spills from ships.