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Transport

nationalities served on board Hong Kong-registered seagoing ships and 1,326 officers and ratings served on high-speed ferries plying within the Pearl River Delta Region.

The Sea-going Training Incentive Scheme aims at attracting local graduates to join the maritime profession in Hong Kong by providing financial incentives for them to take up seagoing cadetship training. By December 2015, 385 cadets had joined the scheme since its launch in July 2004.

Participation in International Maritime Activities

International Maritime Organisation

The HKSAR Government, under the name 'Hong Kong, China, is an associate member of the IMO and has a permanent representative in London. The Hong Kong maritime industry is consulted on, and closely informed of, all issues discussed at IMO meetings that may affect Hong Kong. In 2015, HKSAR Government officials attended 16 IMO meetings. Topics discussed included enhancement of maritime safety and security, measures to reduce marine pollution, matters related to maritime laws, seafarers' training and certification of standards, and facilitation of international maritime traffic.

Port State Control

Hong Kong is a member of the MoU on Port State Control (PSC) in the Asia-Pacific region. The Marine Department takes part in its activities, including leading an Advisory Group on Technical Co-operation Programmes and as a member of three other working groups.

In 2015, the department conducted 697 initial PSC inspections on foreign ocean-going ships, or 14.22 per cent of all foreign ocean-going ships that visited Hong Kong. It detained about 7.03 per cent of the ships inspected because of serious deficiencies that needed immediate attention.

Maritime Search and Rescue

The department's Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre co-ordinates search and rescue operations within Hong Kong waters and for about 450,000 square nautical miles of international waters of the South China Sea. The centre is manned by professional staff and equipped with modern communications equipment for receiving distress alerts and communicating with ships.

Government Fleet and Dockyard

Government Fleet

The government fleet, with more than 800 vessels, serves 14 government departments. The Marine Department manages 75 vessels for its port operations and serves other government departments which do not have their own vessels. Its vessels include patrol launches, purpose- built conveyance launches, pontoons, hydrographic survey launches and explosives carriers. In 2015, the department also had 26 vessels, including conveyance launches and tugboats, provided under contracts by private operators.

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