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Following is a question by the Hon Wu Chi-wai and a written reply by the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Professor Anthony Cheung Bing-leung, in the Legislative Council today (January 30):
Question:
In reply to an enquiry from a member of the public, the Transport Complaints Unit of the Transport Advisory Committee has indicated that according to the laws of Hong Kong, Class I local vessels (including ferries), when underway, must have a person in charge of the vessels who is the holder of a local certificate of competency as a coxswain (person-in-charge), and other persons may also operate such vessels under the supervision of the person-in-charge in the wheelhouse (regulation on the charge of a vessel). That member of the public has pointed out that the Government has not set specific standards on the qualifications of the operators of the ferries of the Hong Kong and Kowloon Ferry Holdings Limited. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) under the existing legislation, of the qualifications or certificates that vessel operators must possess, and whether it is illegal for a person without relevant qualifications or certificates to operate a vessel under the supervision of the person-in-charge in the wheelhouse; if so, of the legislation contravened; if not, how the authorities ensure that crew members without relevant qualifications or certificates possess adequate professional knowledge to operate a vessel;
(b) whether it knows the respective numbers of people working in the shipping industry or engaged in operating vessels, etc. in Hong Kong in each of the past three years, with a breakdown by job type; of the training which crew members are required to receive before they are formally appointed, and whether skills of operating a vessel are included; if so, of the details;
(c) of the types of local vessels to which the aforesaid regulation on the charge of a vessel applies, and list the respective standards for different types of vessels; and
(d) of the number of vessel collision accidents in each of the past three years; among them, the number of accidents involving vessels not directly operated by the persons-in-charge at the time of the accidents, with a breakdown by the type of vessels?
Reply:
President,
In relation to different parts of the question by Hon Wu Chi-wai, our reply is as follows:
(a) & (b) Under section 47 of the Merchant Shipping (Local Vessels) (Certification and Licensing) Regulation (Cap. 548D) (the Regulation), Class I, II and III local vessels (including vessels such as ferries, cargo vessels and fishing vessels), when underway, shall be in charge of by a coxswain who holds a relevant local certificate of competency. Under the existing practice, the coxswain will ask the crew members to help operate a vessel under his supervision and direction where necessary.
The Regulation requires that coxswains and engine operators of the above-mentioned local vessels must hold a local certificate of competency (*) appropriate for the vessel concerned. To obtain the certificate, the applicant must possess the necessary years of service on board the vessel, complete the prescribed training courses (**) and pass the examination required by the Marine Department (MD). This is to ensure that the holder of a local certificate of competency as a coxswain is adequately proficient in such knowledge as navigation and pilotage skills, vessel control as well as the "International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea". An engine operator must be in possession of engineering knowledge and familiar with the methods and measures on safety and pollution control/prevention.
As for other crew members, they usually work under the supervision of the coxswain. Although the legislation does not regulate their qualifications, the employer will provide on-the-job training according to their job requirements, including emergency response and the proper use of emergency equipment on board.
According to the records of the MD, as at November 2012, the numbers of coxswains and engine operators who are holders of local certificates of competency and under 65 years of age are 15,548 and 10,925 respectively. The MD does not have statistics on the actual number of persons working on vessels.
(c) The aforesaid qualification requirements on coxswains and engine operators are applicable to Class I, II and III local vessels. As regards Class IV pleasure vessels, under section 47 of the Regulation, if a pleasure vessel is more than 3 metres in length or is fitted with engines of more than 3 kilowatts total propulsion power, the person in charge of the vessel must be the holder of a local certificate of competency as a pleasure vessel operator.
As Class I, II and III local vessels cover various types of vessels (***), the MD requires the respective holders of local certificates of competency to possess broader navigation knowledge and operational skills. As regards the qualification requirements for the holder of a local certificate of competency as a pleasure vessel operator, they are drawn up specifically for the purpose of operating a pleasure vessel. The applicant must pass the required examination, or complete an approved training course and pass the test. This is to ensure that pleasure vessel operators are equipped with adequate knowledge on navigation, seamanship, safety and engines.
(d) According to the statistics of the MD, the numbers of marine incidents involving vessel impact within Hong Kong waters in the past three years are as follows:
2010 2011 2012
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Collision (no. of cases) ¡@183 204 (****) 147
Contact (no. of cases) 35 48 35
Note:
"Collision" means impact between vessels.
"Contact" means impact between vessels and objects (such as piers and dams).
According to the MD, all vessels were operated by the persons-in-charge at the time of the tabulated incidents.
* The certificates are issued in three grades. A holder of a Coxswain Grade 3 Certificate, Grade 2 Certificate or Grade 1 Certificate may act as the coxswain of a local vessel not exceeding 15 metres in length, not exceeding 24 metres in length and of gross tonnage not more than 1,600 respectively. A holder of an Engine Operator Grade 3 Certificate, Grade 2 Certificate or Grade 1 Certificate may act as the engine operator of a local vessel having an aggregate power not more than 750 kilowatts, 1,500 kilowatts and 3,000 kilowatts respectively.
** Applicable to applications for Coxswain Grade 1 Certificate and Engine Operator Grade 1 Certificate.
*** Including launches, dredgers, dry cargo vessels etc.
**** In a press release issued on October 11, 2012, the MD reported that the number of collision incidents in 2011 was 203. The MD later found that one of the collision incidents originally believed to have happened outside Hong Kong waters should be classified as within Hong Kong waters. Therefore, the number of collision cases for 2011 should be 204.
Ends/Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Issued at HKT 15:32
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