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The Transport and Housing Bureau announced today (November 13) that the Air Navigation (Hong Kong) Order 1995 (Amendment of Schedule 16) Order 2013 and the Dangerous Goods (Consignment by Air) (Safety) Regulations (Amendment of Schedule) Order 2013 will be gazetted on Friday (November 15). They will be tabled in the Legislative Council on November 20.
A spokesman for the bureau said the Air Navigation (Hong Kong) Order 1995 (Amendment of Schedule 16) Order 2013 seeks to implement the appropriate latest requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) for the safe transport of dangerous goods (DGs) by air. The requirements are set out in a new edition (i.e. the 2013-14 edition) of the ICAO's Technical Instructions for the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air.
The main provisions in the above order include:
(a) requiring the operator of an aircraft to provide the commander of the aircraft with the required information in respect of DGs to be carried by the aircraft by a specified time;
(b) requiring the operator of an aircraft to provide DGs information to the ground personnel responsible for flight operations, and to make a copy of the information readily accessible to the said personnel until after the landing of the aircraft at the aerodrome of the intended destination;
(c) requiring the operator of an aircraft to preserve a copy of the DGs transport document and other documents, and a copy of the acceptance checklist for not less than six months if any DGs are not accepted for carriage by the operator; and
(d) requiring the operator of a helicopter to ensure that consideration is to be given on packaging of the DG and the danger of static charge upon landing or release of the loads when any DGs are carried or loaded for carriage or suspended from a helicopter.
"The aviation industry has been consulted and generally supports the legislative proposals," the spokesperson said.
The Dangerous Goods (Consignment by Air) (Safety) Regulations (Amendment of Schedule) Order 2013 seeks to update the references made to the provisions of the Technical Instructions in the Dangerous Goods (Consignment by Air) (Safety) Regulations.
The target commencement date of the above legislative amendments is January 1, 2014.
DGs in the context of air transport include explosives, compressed gas, flammable liquids, flammable solids, oxidising substances, toxic substances, infectious substances, radioactive material and corrosives.
Ends/Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Issued at HKT 16:00
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