Government to Propose Major Updates to Hong Kong's Marine Legislation Tomorrow

Miscellaneous amendments to marine legislation to be gazetted tomorrow

The Government will gazette tomorrow (October 10) a proposal to amend and update marine legislation by enacting eight pieces of amendment regulations/orders/notices, including the Pilotage Ordinance (Amendment of Schedules 3 and 4) Notice 2024; the Dangerous Goods (Shipping) Regulation 2012 (Amendment) Regulation 2024; the Shipping and Port Control (Amendment) Regulation 2024; the Shipping and Port Control (Ferry Terminals) (Amendment) Regulation 2024; the Shipping and Port Control (Ports) (Amendment) Order 2024; the Merchant Shipping (Local Vessels) (General) (Amendment) Regulation 2024; the Merchant Shipping (Local Vessels) (Safety and Survey) (Amendment) Regulation 2024; and the Merchant Shipping (Fees) (Amendment) Regulation 2024.

The proposed amendments aim to update and unify the types and formats of the geodetic reference datum used in marine legislation. It also makes miscellaneous amendments to various pieces of marine legislation in relation to designating new special anchorages, updating the radio channels and sectors under the vessel traffic services, updating the definition of Radio Regulations, removing obsolete cable reserves, adjusting boundaries of various bridge areas due to shoreline changes, removing the Tuen Mun Ferry Terminal from the legislation which specifies terminals for use by cross-boundary ferry vessels given its cessation of cross-boundary passenger transport, as well as prescribing the fees for surveying Hong Kong ships in relation to an Industrial Personnel Safety Certificate and other fees in relation to that certificate.

A spokesperson for the Transport and Logistics Bureau said, "To uphold Hong Kong's standing as an international maritime hub, the Government is committed to updating marine legislation regularly to reflect the latest developments in the local and global marine landscape. The current amendments are pivotal to ensuring that Hong Kong's marine legislation remains contemporary."

The Panel on Economic Development of the Legislative Council (LegCo), as well as the Local Vessels Advisory Committee, Pilotage Advisory Committee, Port Operations Committee and Hong Kong Fleet Operation Advisory Committee of the Marine Department, have been consulted on the legislative proposal respectively. Members supported the proposal.

The proposed legislative amendments will be tabled at the LegCo for negative vetting on October 16.

EMSD investigates suspension incident of Hong Kong Observation Wheel

​The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) is investigating the suspension incident of the Hong Kong Observation Wheel happened today (December 5).

An EMSD spokesman said, "Upon notification of the suspension incident of the Hong Kong Observation Wheel at 5.26pm today, EMSD officers immediately conducted an on-site investigation. The preliminary findings revealed that the failure of the backup system of the observation wheel has triggered the safety system to suspend the observation wheel. The operator followed the operation procedures to restart the observation wheel and release the passengers. All passengers were safely evacuated at 5.48pm, and no passengers were injured in the incident."

For safety's sake, the EMSD has requested the Hong Kong Observation Wheel to conduct a detailed inspection and reopen it only after confirming safety by the competent person of the amusement ride. The Hong Kong Observation Wheel is required to submit a report on the incident. TheEMSD will continue closely monitoring the operation of the Hong Kong Observation Wheel.