ENG-2016 — Page 268

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Transport

discount fares for the elderly and children, and some GMB routes run concessionary fare schemes.

Government's Fare Concessions for Elderly and Persons with Disabilities

The Government Public Transport Fare Concession Scheme for the Elderly and Eligible Persons with Disabilities encourages residents aged 65 or above and those with disabilities to participate more in community activities. Those eligible pay a fare of $2 per trip on designated public transport, covering the general MTR lines, franchised bus routes, ferry routes and green. minibus routes. As at the end of December, the average daily number of passenger trips under the scheme was about 997,900.

The Port

Hong Kong's modern, well-equipped deep-water port serves two main types of maritime transport: ocean-going vessels from all parts of the world and river-trade vessels from the Pearl River. A daily average of about 75 ocean-going vessels and 430 river-trade vessels arrive at the port, and many high-speed ferries and local vessels work in, or pass through, the harbour.

Hong Kong was the fifth busiest port in the world in 2016, handling 19.8 million Twenty-foot Equivalent Units of containers (TEUs). It recorded 371,000 vessel arrivals and departures, involving 257 million tonnes of cargo and 29 million cross-boundary ferry and cruise passenger journeys.

Port Administration

The Marine Department administers the port, with its principal task to ensure safety of navigation and efficiency of shipping activities in Hong Kong waters. This is achieved through comprehensive traffic management, harbour patrols, vessel traffic services, provision of mooring buoys and strict enforcement of rules and standards of the major international maritime conventions.

The department liaises closely with shipping and commercial organisations, and takes advice on port administration from users and operators of port facilities, through a number of advisory and consultative committees. The Port Operations Committee advises on all matters related to efficient operation of the port, the Pilotage Advisory Committee on pilotage services, and the Port Area Security Advisory Committee on port security. The Local Vessels Advisory Committee deals with matters related to local vessels, while the Shipping Consultative Committee advises on the operation of the Hong Kong Shipping Register and Hong Kong's participation in the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).

The department's website provides information on the port and the shipping register, such as notices and details of the department's services and facilities. Its Electronic Business System provides a one-stop solution to simplify and speed up the submission and processing of port. formalities, offering services such as online submission of applications, auto-approval for online applications, self-printing of permits and certificates, online payment via auto-pay and online checking of application status.

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