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The new pre-registration quality control system (PRQC) launched by the Hong Kong Shipping Register (HKSR) will boost the quality of vessels that fly the Hong Kong flag and safeguard the registry's reputation, a Marine Department spokesman said today (September 17).
"If a ship intends to join our register, theoretically it should be of good quality," said the spokesman. "However, we have the responsibility to make sure of a ship's quality before allowing it to fly the Hong Kong flag.
"In the past, we have found cases, through the Flag State Quality Control inspection and Port State Control inspection data, where some ships did not meet the required standards, although they had supposedly been inspected by classification societies in the change-of-flag survey."
If any such cases are discovered in future, he said, the classification society surveyor responsible for inspecting the vessel may be blacklisted.
Under the new PRQC system, which was launched in July after consultations with the industry, the Marine Department searches all available sources for information about any ship which applies to join the Hong Kong Shipping Registry.
The quality of the ship is then assessed taking into account a number of factors, including age, type, the number of port-state detentions in the past three years, accident record, and the effectiveness of the ship's management company.
"If there is doubt about the quality standards of the ship and her management company, a shipowner will bear the costs of a ship inspection conducted by a Marine Department surveyor before registration. The industry has supported this move to maintain the high quality standards of the HKSR."
The register had 835 vessels of gross tonnage (GT) 18.67 million as at early September this year, compared to 726 vessels of 15.72 million GT a year ago.
The Marine Department expects the register to reach 19 million GT by the end of this year, the spokesman added.
End/Wednesday, September 17, 2003
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