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To help shipowners meet Port State Control (PSC) requirements, the Marine Department (MD) is closely monitoring the quality performance of Hong Kong-registered ships, using data posted on the Asia Pacific Computerised Information System (APCIS).

"The exercise, aimed to minimise ship detentions and deficiencies arising from PSC inspections as well as to reduce maritime and shipboard accidents of Hong Kong-registered ships, started earlier this year,'' Senior Surveyor (Security and Quality Assurance) Mr Cheung Sik-woon said today (June 23).

"We are endeavouring to enhance ship quality through daily monitoring to ensure that Hong Kong-registered vessels are well maintained and managed in compliance with international regulations," he said.

APCIS was established under the Tokyo Memorandum of Understanding of 1993 to assist regional port authorities with the selection of foreign-flag ships for inspection and the PSC exercise.

Mr Cheung said if daily monitoring showed that any Hong Kong-registered ship needed fixing, the Marine Department would advise the ship manager to take remedial action or consult with the manager with a view to solving any problems that might cause the ship to be detained.

"Most ship management companies will co-operate with the Marine Department and they usually respond positively to our advice about ship and crew performance," he said.

"Some ship management companies have even invited the Marine Department to send professionals to brief their technical staff on how to implement measures to meet international requirements."

To prevent sub-standard ships from creeping into the Hong Kong Shipping Register, the Marine Department will check the quality of ships proposed for registration and assess the qualifications of the management company before deciding whether to accept them.

Registration would likely be denied if either the ship or the management company was found to be sub-standard, said Mr Cheung.

The above report and other articles are available in the 13th issue of the Hong Kong Maritime News, which can be seen on the Marine Department website http://www.gov.hk/mardep.

End/Monday, June 23, 2003

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