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Following is a question by the Hon Wong Kwok-hing and a reply by the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Professor Anthony Cheung Bing-leung, in the Legislative Council today (March 27):
Question:
Regarding the safety of vessels, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) given that if a vessel is provided with an internal watertight subdivision arrangement, water will not flood from the damaged compartments into undamaged ones in the event of the rupture of the hull, thereby preventing or delaying the sinking of the vessel, whether there are provisions in the existing legislation requiring passenger ships registered in Hong Kong to be fitted with watertight compartments and watertight doors, as well as on the design and construction standards of such installations; if there are, of the details; what corresponding requirements are to be met by non-Hong Kong registered passenger ships before they may cruise in Hong Kong waters;
(b) whether the Marine Department (MD) had, in the past three years, conducted regular and surprise inspections comprehensively to verify if passenger ships registered in Hong Kong had been fitted with watertight compartments and watertight doors, and these installations could function normally; if it had, of the details and the number of ships found not in compliance with the requirements, and how the Government had followed up such cases; and
(c) whether MD had conducted in the past six months a comprehensive review of the legislation governing the safety of vessels, as well as its law enforcement procedures and work; if it had, of the details and the improvement measures; if it had not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
In relation to different parts of the question asked by Hon Wong Kwok-hing, our reply is as follows:
(a) When designing a vessel, its hull will be divided into a number of compartments. The bulkheads are the structure used in separating these compartments. There are two types of bulkheads, i.e. watertight and non-watertight. Other than strengthening the structure of a vessel, watertight bulkheads serve to divide the hull into a number of watertight compartments, so as to prevent ingress of water from a damaged watertight compartment to other compartments. This can maintain the residual buoyancy of the hull and prevent the vessel from sinking or slow down the sinking. If there has to be an access opening in a watertight bulkhead, watertight fixture, such as watertight doors, must be installed and kept closed during sailing.
Under the Merchant Shipping (Local Vessels) Ordinance (Cap 548), the Marine Department (MD) has issued the Code of Practice - Safety Standards for Classes I, II and III Vessels which sets out the detailed requirements for the provision of watertight bulkheads. They include the provision of at least three watertight bulkheads on locally licensed ferries and launches, with one fitted at the fore peak tank and the other two on the two ends of the engine room. For ferries and launches with a capacity of more than 100 passengers, their ability to resist sinking must meet the requirements of damage stability, i.e. when one watertight compartment is ruptured, the vessel should still maintain sufficient residual buoyancy. Such requirements are the same as those applied by Singapore and Japan to their local vessels.
Locally licensed ferries and launches are required to undergo annual inspections. The MD will examine the watertight bulkheads as well as the structure, main engines and safety equipment of a vessel during the annual inspection, and will only issue a Certificate of Survey and a licence after ensuring that all standards are met.
For ocean-going passenger ships registered in Hong Kong (including high speed crafts plying between Hong Kong and Macau) and ocean-going ships registered in any other places, the provision of watertight bulkheads must comply with the requirements of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea adopted by the International Maritime Organisation. While at least three watertight bulkheads shall be provided, more bulkheads may be required depending on factors such as the size, structure and stability condition of a vessel. Furthermore, all ships carrying passengers are required to meet the standards on damage stability.
The MD conducts annual inspection of ocean-going passenger ships registered in Hong Kong. It will examine the watertight bulkheads as well as the structure, main engines and safety equipment of a ship, and will only issue a Passenger Ship Safety Certificate after ensuring that all standards are met.
For foreign ships visiting Hong Kong, they have all along been subject to port state control inspection by the MD. If the watertight bulkheads or other parts of a ship are found to be in breach of the Convention, the ship will be detained and can leave Hong Kong only upon rectification of the defects and re-inspection.
(b) The number of annual inspections conducted by the MD on locally licensed ferries and launches and ocean-going passenger ships registered in Hong Kong (including high speed crafts plying between Hong Kong and Macau) in the three years from 2010 to 2012 is set out in the Annex.
Apart from annual inspections, the MD has conducted special inspections of the watertight bulkheads on all locally licensed ferries and launches since the end of last year. As at March 22 this year, through the annual and special inspections, the MD has inspected 134 ferries and launches with a capacity of more than 100 passengers, and 138 smaller ferries and launches, representing 99% and 82% of the two categories of vessels mentioned above. The watertight bulkheads of most of the inspected vessels met the standards, except for one ferry whose rubber gasket on the frame of a watertight door was found to be damaged and for five smaller launches whose watertight fittings of pipe penetration through the watertight bulkheads were found with minor defects. The MD had requested for rectification of the defects and would arrange for re-inspection of these vessels. In addition to inspecting the watertight bulkheads, the MD also re-examines the construction of vessels to see if they comply with the approved plans. The MD expects to complete inspecting the remaining ferries and launches within April this year.
(c) The Administration is conducting a comprehensive review of the existing regulatory regime and the relevant legislation governing passenger-carrying vessels. The MD has commissioned the Lloyd's Register, an overseas expert, to review the MD's current procedures for surveys and approval of plans. The Lloyd's will make risk assessment and recommendations. It is expected that the study will be completed within April this year. Meanwhile, the MD also commissioned an international marine consultant in January this year to conduct a benchmark survey, comparing Hong Kong's safety requirements for locally licensed passenger-carrying vessels with those enforced at ports such as Singapore, Sydney of Australia and Southampton of the United Kingdom. Recommendations will be made based on the comparison. The survey will be completed in April.
President, the traffic in Hong Kong waters is busy. With "safety first" as the principle, the Government will continue to maintain marine safety and endeavour to optimise the policy on and institutional arrangement for regulation of local vessels and marine safety.
Ends/Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Issued at HKT 15:23
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