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Twenty five people who risked their lives to save others in Hong Kong waters in 2005, today (February 16) received bravery awards from the Director of Marine, Mr Tsui Shung-yiu.
Receiving commendations were two crew members from the Star Ferry Company Limited, four civilians, a captain from Oriental Overseas Container Line Limited, and 18 officers from the Hong Kong Police Force.
At the presentation ceremony, Mr Tsui expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the heroes for their courageous acts in saving the lives of others.
He said the Marine Department was responsible for all maritime matters in Hong Kong and the safety standards of all classes and types of vessels.
"One of the commitments is to ensure safe operation of the port and that every ship coming to our port can navigate safely in Hong Kong waters and carry out business efficiently," he said.
"To boost navigational safety, the Marine Department in March, 2005, introduced new measures on high-speed craft travelling in Hong Kong waters during fog where visibility is low."
These measures include:
* The Marine Department will remind individual high-speed craft operators/companies that the Speed Restriction Exemption Permit (SREP) granted to a vessel is not valid when the visibility falls below one nautical mile; and
* All high-speed craft will be required to install a safety management monitoring system, such as an automatic identification system, to facilitate better monitoring of vessel movements.
"The Marine Department will continue to monitor high-speed craft traffic during fog conditions. When visibility falls to two nautical miles, we will issue announcements through maritime VHF channels and radio to vessels reminding masters and coxswains of vessels to exercise extreme caution and to navigate at a safe speed in Hong Kong waters as well as to comply with the International Regulations for Preventing Collision at Sea.
"Moreover, our Harbour Patrol Section has stepped up its efforts in performing law enforcement duties to prevent speeding, as we continue our regular patrols to reduce risk of collision incidents in the busy area of Hong Kong waters." he said.
"We trust that these measures will enhance marine traffic safety in the years ahead and Hong Kong will continue to be one of the safest and most efficient ports in the world," Mr Tsui said.
Ends/Thursday, February 16, 2006
Issued at HKT 18:50
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