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Transport

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 2016, HKSAR Government officials attended 20 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 in the Asia-Pacific region. The Marine Department takes part in its activities, including leading an Advisory Group on Technical Cooperation Programmes and as a member of three other working groups.

In 2016, the department conducted 630 initial Port State Control inspections on foreign ocean- going ships, or 13 per cent of all foreign ocean-going ships that visited Hong Kong. It detained 3.81 per cent of the ships inspected because of serious deficiencies that needed immediate attention.

Maritime Search and Rescue

The department's Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre coordinates 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 to receive distress alerts and coordinate search and rescue operations.

Government Fleet and Dockyard

Government Fleet

The fleet of more than 800 government vessels serves 14 government departments. Of these, the Marine Department manages 75 vessels to serve its port operations and the needs of other government departments which do not have their own vessels. The vessels it manages include patrol launches, purpose-built conveyance launches, pontoons, hydrographic survey launches and explosives carriers. In 2016, the department also contracted 27 vessels provided by private operators, including conveyance launches and tugboats.

Government Dockyard

The Government Dockyard, managed by the Government Fleet Division, designs, procures and maintains all government vessels. It occupies a site of 9.8 hectares on Stonecutters Island and has a sheltered water basin of 8.3 hectares as one of the Marine Department's operational bases. To repair and maintain vessels, the dockyard has four movable canopies, 10 covered docking and repair sheds and 30 open-yard docking cradle spaces; and is supported by a ship- lift system and three ship-hoists capable of dry-docking vessels of up to 750 tonnes.

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