Tag: Hong Kong

Hong Kong Merchant Shipping Information Note Containers on board a Hong Kong registered container vessel fell overboard and pierced the bunker oil tanks causing devastating oil spill. This information note draws the attention of the shipowners, ship managers, ship operators and officers the lessons learnt in the accident.The Incident1. A Hong Kong registered container vessel lost 31 containers overboard in gale force weather during cyclone off the coast of southeast Queensland, Australia. About 270 tonnes of fuel leaked into the sea as a result of the damage to the bunker tanks caused by the overboard containers. The oil spilled into the sea causing serious pollution.2. The investigation into the incident conducted by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau revealed that the condition of the cargo lashing equipment was poor and its maintenance and inspection programme was inadequate.Lessons Learnt3. The maintenance of cargo securing gears is of vital importance to ship stability, safety of life at sea and protection of the marine environment. A maintenance and inspection progromme should be established and implemented to ensure the condition of the cargo securing gears are properly maintained at all times.4. The attention of shipowners, ship managers, ship operators, master and officers of container vessels ...

The Greek office will be fully operational by November A much anticipated office expected to deepen the Bahamas Maritime Authoritys (BMA) presence in Greece is set to open by November.Chairman of the BMA Ian Fair has confirmed that both the Greece office and a Hong Kong office will be fully operational by the end of the year. Both offices are expected to expand the country's registry by 10 percent, with plans in motion to boost the countrys image in those jurisdictions.We will have the Greece office fully operational by November, he told Guardian Business. We will have more staff than the Hong Kong office. We have not determined exactly how much staff yet, but it will be six people immediately.The move comes as the nations influence spreads in China, with BMA officials invited to speak in Tianjin, China in October, where it will make a technical presentation to the Hong Kong Shipowners Association.Fair asserts marketing is important in the region.Thats a key thing for that region... but more people are aware now that The Bahamas has a presence in East Asia.We have some plans for October to do some more .Fair has said the recent move to Hong Kong was a ...

Hong Kong Merchant Shipping Information Note The Marine Department of Hong Kong issues Merchant Shipping Information Note regarding Amendments to the International Convention for Safe Containers (CSC), 1972.On 3 December 2010, the Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) at its 88th session adopted the resolution MSC.310(88) to amend CSC 1972. The amendments will enter into force on 1 January 2012.For further information, click here.Source: Hong Kong Marine Department

Hong Kong Merchant Shipping Information Note The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) gazetted the United Nations Sanctions (Libya) Regulation 2011 (L.N. 114 of 2011) (the Regulation 2011) on 30 June 2011 which came into effect on the same date.The Regulation 2011 gives effect to the decisions of the Security Council of the United Nations in Resolutions 1970 and 1973 adopted on 26 February 2011 and 17 March 2011 respectively.The Regulation 2011, made under section 3 of the United Nations SanctionsOrdinance (Cap. 537), gives effect to sanctions against Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (Libya) imposed by the Security Council of the United Nations in Resolutions 1970 and 1973To view more information ,click here.Source: Hong Kong Marine Department

Ports in southern China are preferred Hong Kongs status as one of the worlds leading maritime centres is not under threat, but change is coming. At the start of April this year container giant Maersk cut its calls at the port of Hong Kong by a quarter, from around 30 per week to 22-23. The reason? The carrier said it would be transferring most of the calls to a terminal at the port of Nansha near Guangzhou in southern Mainland China which is partly owned by sister company APM Terminals.The transfer was a huge blow both to Modern Terminals, which handles most of Maersks calls at Hong Kong, and to Hong Kongs status as the regions leading container hub. More blows could follow.The port lost its status as the worlds largest container port back in 2004 and was ranked third according to 2009 throughput totals, some distance behind Singapore and Shanghai. The ports of Shenzhen and Guangzhou, located over the border in Mainland China, were fourth and sixth in the rankings.Last year the port of Hong Kong handled 23.7m teu, again putting it in third place although the figure was still below the record set in 2008 pre-global financial crisis.The ...

Circular letter by the Hong Kong Marine Department The Hong Kong Marine Department (HKMD) has issued the following circular letter, which concerns, among others, their regaining of the qualification for the United States Coast Guard's Qualship 21 Program on 1 June 2011.Within this framework and in view of the recent PSC development in the US and Australian ports, HKMD has revised the PSC inspection Checklist by adding items specifically for Bulk Carriers, Oil Tankers, Chemical Carriers and Gas Carriers.Indeed, pre-arrival inspection has to be carried out in accordance with the PSC Inspection Checklist for Hong Kong registered ships before entering into any US or Australian ports.It has to be noticed that the checklist, after being completed and signed by the ship master, should be endorsed by the DPA of the management company before submission to HKMD for scrutiny and necessary follow-up action.To view the circular letter, click here.Source: Hong Kong Marine Department

Technical Information TEC-0667 by Class NK With regard to the carriage of immersion suits on the Hong Kong flagged ships, ClassNK Technical Information No.TEC-0667 dated 6 July 2006 has been issued.Recently, the Government has notified of the additional instruction of immersion suits for the stored position of the additional liferaft required by SOLAS Reg.III/31.1.4.In response, ClassNK Technical Information No.TEC-0667 paragraph 1 has been modified as follows.(1) At least two immersion suits should be provided in wheel house and engine control room respectively as additional immersion suits. The same number of immersion suits as life-jackets at the wheel house and engine control room are required (i.e. if 3 life-jackets are required at the wheel house then 3 immersion suits are required at the wheel house).(2) If ship has other watch or work stations and life-jackets has already been provided, for example, cargo control room of chemical tanker etc., the same number of immersion suits as life-jackets are required to such stations. Mooring stations (fore & aft) are not included in the above watch or work stations.(3) At least two sets of immersion suits are to be provided for the stored position of the additional liferaft required by Reg.III/31.1.4 according to the ...

Typically runs from May until September The Hong Kong Marine Department has issued a warning on the approaching typhoon season which typically runs from May until September.The department has urged masters, owners, agents and persons in control of vessels to comply with any directions from the director of marine concerning the safe operations of vessels and the port."Masters are reminded that every vessel within the waters of Hong Kong must maintain a continuous listening watch on the VHF radio channel appropriate to the VHF sector in which the vessel is located (...)," the department said in a statement.It added that masters should also listen to local radio broadcasts for weather advisory information updates.The department further warned that an inadequately manned vessel during the passage of a tropical cyclone not only places itself at risk but also endangers the port and other vessels.Source: Seatrade Asia

Old forms will be phased out on August 1 The Hong Kong Marine Department issued a Notice stating that its separate forms for reporting shipping casualties, marine industrial accidents, and dangerous occurrences are being replaced by a single form - Report of Marine Incident.The new form may be used immediately. The old forms will be phased out on August 1.Source: Hong Kong Marine Department