Tag: Hong Kong

Filter By:

Dredging Operations at Western Dangerous Goods Anchorage and Quarantine & Immigration Anchorage

With effect from 19 December 2011 The Hong Kong Marine Department issued a notice stating that, for a period of approximately six months, dredging operations will be carried out at the Western Dangerous Goods Anchorage and the adjacent Quarantine & Immigration Anchorage. Mariners should give the work vessels a wide berth.For more information, click hereSource: Hong Kong Marine Department

Read more

Oilex 2011 tests oil spill responses

To test responses in combating oil pollution in Hong Kong waters A joint annual anti-oil pollution exercise, codenamed Oilex 2011, was held last week off Tai Wan To, Lamma Island, to test responses in combating oil pollution in Hong Kong waters.Under the Maritime Oil Spill Response Plan, the Marine Department co-ordinated the exercise, in which other government departments including the Auxiliary Medical Services, Civil Aid Service, Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, Government Flying Service and Hong Kong Police Force as well as oil companies took part.During the exercise, response groups contained a mock oil spill from a beached product tanker carrying 5,200 tonnes of fuel oil which posed threats to the cooling water intakes of Lamma Power Station, Hung Shing Yeh and Lo So Shing beaches, and Sham Wan in the south of Lamma Island, which is a nesting site for Green Turtles.In the wake of the "spillage", the oil combat teams set up a ring of floating barrier booms around the tanker while the shipowner's salvage teams plugged an underwater gash of the tanker. A second defence line of barrier booms was also rigged on the power station's cooling water intakes and on the shorelines near the stranded tanker. ...

Read more

Closing the safety gap is a priority

Says Wilhelmsen Ships Service China General Manager Shipowners in China and Hong Kong are increasingly adopting international standards for safety systems, as they develop their global operations, according to Chan Chang Hae, General Manager, Product & Technical Services, Wilhelmsen Ships Service. There is still a gap in the understanding of what is required to be fully safety compliant in some sectors of the Asian shipowning community. But as their business is growing globally, so are their efforts to keep up to date with international standards."There are more and more stringent rules and regulations being introduced through the IMO and other regulatory bodies governing safety on board vessels. Shipowners realize that they need to be aware and prepare their vessels in order to be compliant," he added.WSS has been active in informing owners about the 'pipeline' of regulations and providing 'on-the-ground' technical support through the company's network of offices across China.WSS China now offers safety services, Unitor marine products, Unitor and Nalfleet marine chemicals, maritime logistics and ships agency to customers in China and around the world. WSS have five offices in China: Shanghai, Beijing, Qingdao, Dalian and Ningbo. The company's products and services are delivered to 37 ports in China."Our ...

Read more

Passenger ferry strikes mooring dolphin

Incident in Cheung Chau Typhoon Shelter The initial findings of an investigation by the Marine Department into an incident inside the Cheung Chau Typhoon Shelter this morning (October 21) involving the high-speed catamaran First Ferry IX have revealed that the ferry strayed outside the navigational fairway into a mooring area.Initial reports received showed that the First Ferry IX, which has a length of 28.84 metres, was carrying 140 passengers and four crew members and departed from Cheung Chau for Central at 5.10am.The vessel struck a mooring dolphin inside Cheung Chau Typhoon Shelter at 5.15am, causing significant casualties onboard.In the incident, 76 people were injured and sent to Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Queen Mary Hospital, Ruttonjee & Tang Shiu Kin Hospitals and St John Hospital, comprising 49 males and 27 females, aged from 19 to 82.The ferry sustained significant damage to its starboard bow.The Marine Department investigation showed that a light beacon nearest to the mooring dolphin was lit and functioning properly in accordance with the nautical chart.The investigation into the incident will pay special attention to the speed of the First Ferry IX at the time of the collision.Source: Hong Kong Marine Department

Read more

70 were injured in Hong Kong ferry crash

Ferry crashed into a mooring pillar after departure from an outlying island Over 70 commuters were injured-some seriously-after their passenger ferry crashed into a mooring pillar after departure from an outlying island before dawn on Friday.The Hong Kong Marine Department said some of the 76 injured on the central Hong Kong-bound ferry were airlifted to various hospitals, with one person in critical condition and two others seriously injured. In total, 10 of the passengers were hospitalized while most other injuries were minor.The ferry was carrying around 140 passengers enroute from Cheung Chau, an island in the southwest of the city that is also a popular destination for tourists. The ferry crashed into the pillar just five minutes after departing from the Cheung Chau pier at around 0515 local time, the government department said. Passengers told local television that many were asleep when the accident took place and were thrown out of their seats.New World First Ferry Services Ltd, which operated the ferry, said the skipper has 10 years of experience, but said it needs to investigate on the causes of the accident that took place in the dark though visibility was clear. The Marine Department said a preliminary report on ...

Read more

74 injured in Hong Kong ferry crash

The cause of the accident was yet to be determined Seventy-four people were injured after a Hong Kong ferry crashed into a mooring pillar Friday, the city's marine department said.Of the injured, nine were in a serious condition and had to be air-lifted to hospital, Patrick Wong, a spokesman for Hong Kong's Marine Department told AFP."At about 5am this morning, a 29-metre long ferry carrying 140 passengers crashed into a concrete mooring facility by a typhoon shelter shortly after departing Cheung Chau," Wong said."The boat did not sink, but some people were hurt."The commuter ferry was carrying people from Cheung Chau, a small island off the city's southern coast, to the main Hong Kong island.Wong said an investigation into the accident had been launched, adding that visibility at the time was normal.The cause of the accident was yet to be determined."We were all thrown out of our seats when the ferry crashed -- people were bleeding all over, from the head, nose and lips," a passenger told local broadcaster Cable News TV."It was very chaotic inside, none of the crew came to help us, we had to help ourselves," another passenger told the station.Last year, eight people died in Hong ...

Read more

Servicing of Life-Saving Equipment

Hong Kong Merchant Shipping Information Note The Hong Kong Marine Department issues Merchant Shipping Information Note regarding Servicing of Life- Saving Equipment as follows:The purpose of this Note is to inform shipowners, ship managers, ship masters, shipping agents and classification societies, of service stations in Hong Kong which have been approved by the Director of Marine for the servicing of life-saving equipment.1. This Note supersedes Hong Kong Merchant Shipping Information Note No. 62/2006.2. Various cases have been drawn to Marine Department's attention in the past which have identified the unapproved servicing of inflatable liferafts at certain overseas service stations.In some instances, the servicing was so poor that the liferaft would not have functioned properly when launched and would have been ineffective as a life-saving appliance.3. It is imperative for the safety of life at sea that all inflatable liferafts are regularly serviced at stations which have been approved by both the Administration of the State concerned and by the manufacturer of the equipment to be serviced. Shipowners are also advised to ensure wide availability of authorised servicing agents before purchasing inflatable liferafts. The above advice also applies to inflatable lifejackets, inflated rescue boats, marine evacuation systems, hydrostatic release units (HRUs) ...

Read more

Fatal Accident in starting Deck Hydraulic Winches

Hong Kong Marine Department issues Merchant Shipping Information Note Hong Kong Marine Department issues Merchant Shipping Information Note regarding Fatal Accident in starting Deck Hydraulic Winches as follows:A fatal accident occurred on a Hong Kong registered ship at a repair yard, and the Chief Officer was killed by an unexpected movement of the derrick boom when he switched on the hydraulic pump of the deck winches. This information note draws the attention of Shipowners, Ship Managers, Ship Operators, Masters, Officers and Crew to the lessons learntfrom this accident.The Accident1. The derrick boom of the Hong Kong registered ship was damaged due to bad weather during discharging in port. The gooseneck end of the boom was dismantled. The boom was lowered down and secured across the forecastle deck by lashings at both ends with the cargo wire wrapped around the boom for the voyage to the repair yard. When the vessel was alongside atthe repair yard, the Chief Officer (C/O) attempted to slack and remove the cargo wire to prepare the boom for quick removal to the repair yard in the afternoon.2. At the time of the accident, the C/O was alone on the forecastle deck. He was standing in between ...

Read more

Entry into Enclosed Space

Hong Kong Merchant Shipping Information Note The Hong Kong Marine Department issues Merchant Shipping Information Note regarding Entry into Enclosed Space as follows:Two similar accidents occurred recently on board two Hong Kong registered chemical tankers causing death of a Chief Officer and a Bosun respectively inside enclosed spaces. This Note draws the attention of the Shipowners, Ship Managers, Ship Operators, Masters, Officers and Crew of Hong Kong registered ships and Classification Societies the important lessons learnt from these accidents.The Incidents1. After the chemical tanker departed the discharge port, crewmembers started cleaning cargo tanks. Upon completion of tank washing, the bosun informed the chief officer that odour came from a cargo tank. The chief officer entered into the cargo tank, but he did not inform other crewmembers nor follow the permit-to-work system before entry. He was later foundunconscious inside the cargo tank and was rescued by crewmembers who entered inside the cargo tank despite oxygen level was still low. The chief officer died of asphyxiation.2. In another accident, the chemical tanker was berthed preparing for loading of propylene oxide, which required all cargo tanks, ballast tanks and cofferdams to be filled up with nitrogen before loading. The bosun was discharging water ...

Read more

NYK Group conducts joint Anti-piracy exercise in Australia and Anti-terrorism exercise in Hong Kong

Anti-terrorism and anti-piracy training exercises The NYK Group conducts accident-response training exercises regularly and, to prepare for unforeseeable circumstances, the group cooperates with anti-terrorism and anti-piracy training exercises conducted in various countries to enhance the crisis-response capability of group employees. NYK Venus1. Anti-terrorism training exercise with the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF)On July 26, NYK conducted a joint anti-terrorism exercise with the HKPF based on a scenario in which an NYK-owned containership, NYK Venus, is taken over by a terrorist group. From 2005, a similar joint-exercise has been conducted regularly for years by NYK and the HKPF.The exercise scenario called for the Special Duties Unit of the HKPF to dispatch high-speed boats and helicopters to the vessel, and to search for, find, and subdue the terrorists. Through the exercise, employees at NYK's head office in Tokyo, NYK Line (Hong Kong) Ltd., and NYK Shipmanagement Pte. Ltd. were able to reconfirm their roles for rapid response in dealing with acts of terrorism, including information exchanges with the HKPF and other related organizations. ACX Diamond2. Anti-piracy training exercise with the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) On August 15, an NYK-owned containership, ACX Diamond, participated in an escort training exercise with a RAN frigate ...

Read more
Page 31 of 34 1 30 31 32 34