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The number of marine casualty cases involving pleasure vessels, banana boats and jet-skis fell in the past year in spite of the growing enthusiasm for boating pursuits, the Director of Marine, Mr Roger Tupper, said today (May 27).
According to the Marine Department's records, the number of these cases during water sports activities was down from eight in 2008 to five in 2009.
Speaking at the Safety Afloat Educational Seminar, Mr Tupper said the significant reduction of such cases was encouraging and proved that the campaign was having the desired impact. However, over the past few years, serious or fatal marine accidents involving swimmers and boaters had unfortunately occurred especially in waters adjacent to popular beaches during the summer season, he added.
Mr Tupper said, "As more and more Hong Kong citizens are now fond of swimming and other water sports activities outside the swimming pools, so it is strongly advisable that when swimming from a boat, a swimmer should realise his or her own ability and any physical weakness and should never make the first long distance swim from a boat. He or she will firstly get trained and confident in swimming pools or at gazetted beaches before swimming from a boat.
"An intelligent swimmer is a confident but careful swimmer who does not swim alone nor after eating a heavy meal and drinking alcohol aboard the boat."
Marine safety measures, however, are ineffective without the awareness and cooperation of boaters. To ensure the safety of persons and boats, boaters must be very careful and sensitive to a variety of challenging weather conditions such as tropical storms, local thunderstorms, heavy rain and fog which can adversely affect both boat driving and swimming safety.
It is also important for the coxswains and the boat operators to know all the safety arrangements on their boats such as the locations of lifejackets, fire fighting equipment, communication equipment and medical first aid kits.
The fifth Safety Afloat Educational Seminar is jointly organised by the Marine Department, the Hong Kong Police Force and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. Starting with the seminar, the departments are joining to kick start a series of educational seminars and publicity campaigns on water sports safety.
A TV/Radio Announcement in the Public Interests which disseminates marine safety messages to the public, boating communities in particular, has been relaunched during the summer season.
On the frontline, the combined fleets of the Marine Police and Marine Department will continue to step up patrol activities in the vicinity of the speed restricted zones and the water areas surrounding popular gazetted beaches and water sport sites. A series of anti-speeding operations against any illegal or reckless boating activities, which may endanger other boaters in the vicinity and the safety of swimmers in designated swimming zones, will also be launched.
The pool of professional lifeguards from the Leisure and Cultural Services Department will also keep an eye out for any dangerous boating activities in the water areas adjacent to the gazetted beaches and alert patrol officers from both the Marine Department and Marine Police to take enforcement action against offenders.
Ends/Thursday, May 27, 2010
Issued at HKT 15:16
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