>Press Releases Home > Publications and press releases > Press Releases Marine traffic control measures for handover The Marine Department, Marine Police and Fire Services Department will jointly implement a series of marine traffic control measures in Victoria Harbour to ensure safety when the handover ceremony and related events are held. Announcing details of the control measures at a press conference today (Tuesday), Senior Marine Officer/Harbour Patrol Section of the Marine Department, Mr Raymond Chung Siu-man, urged owners and operators to follow instructions given by launches of the Marine Department, Marine Police and Fire Services Department for their own and others' safety during various events. Mr Chung said: "For safety and security reason, a marine exclusion zone surrounding the areas of the Prince of Wales Building and the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, about 100 metres off shore, has been established between 12.01 am on June 23 and 11.59 pm on July 1 during which the zone will be closed to all marine traffic." From 12.01 am on June 29 to 11.59 pm on July 2, another marine exclusion zone will be set up in Victoria Harbour for security reason and providing uninterrupted access to the berthing facilities at Hung Hom during the handover ceremony. "Unauthorised entry into the exclusion zone is subject to a maximum fine of $10,000 and imprisonment of six months," Mr Chung warned. A flotilla of 31 mechanised steel barges will have trial runs for the "Hong Kong '97 Spectacular" within a designated rehearsal area in Victoria Harbour from 10 pm on June 26 to 6 am the following day. The eastern limit of the rehearsal area will be a straight line joining the Hung Hom Railway Station Cargo Pier and the breakwater at Kellett Island Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club with the western limit as a straight line joining the southwest extremity of Ocean Terminal and the Central Government Pier. A fireworks display entitled "A Salute the Hong Kong Handover" will take place in Victoria Harbour off Wan Chai around 8.15 pm on June 30 and the fireworks will be discharged from three barges at anchor. Another fireworks display together with a flotilla show called the "Hong Kong '97 Spectacular" will be staged in the harbour off Wan Chai between 9 pm and 10 pm on July 1 (Tuesday). The show will consist of eight fireworks display barges, 31 mechanised steel barges and a "Pearl Barge". Mr Chung said that a closed area, encompassing the fireworks display barges, would be established between 3 pm and 9.30 pm on June 30 for "A Salute to the Hong Kong Handover". As for the "Hong Kong '97 Spectacular", a closed area encompassing the fireworks barges and the "Pearl Barge", would be set up from 2 pm on July 1 to 1 am on July 2. During the respective period the area will be closed to all marine traffic, except craft directly involved in the fireworks displays, Government launches and other vessels approved by the Director of Marine. From 7 pm to 9.30 pm on June 30, and between 8 pm and 11 pm on July 1, Central Victoria Harbour will be designated a restricted area with the limits identical to the rehearsal area. During the effective period of restriction, no vessels other than excepted vessels will be allowed to anchor or to be underway within the restricted area. The excepted vessels are Government launches, vessels directly involved in the fireworks displays, and vessels which have obtained special permission from the Director of Marine. Mr Chung reminded that even when the restricted area and closed area were lifted at about 9.30 pm on June 30, the exclusion zones were still effective and entry for all marine traffic was prohibited. "When the restricted area is lifted at about 11 pm on July 1, the closed area and the exclusion zones are still in force and entry for all marine traffic is banned," he added. Mr Chung advised, "Waters to the west of the restricted area is not a good viewing location for the fireworks displays due to rough sea and heavy traffic conditions." "Spectators vessels from the west," he noted, "should proceed to the east before the closure of Victoria Harbour." Mr Chung also advised excursion ferries and spectator vessels to keep clear from ferry piers and the Macau Ferry Terminal. He pointed out that the harbour was not a vantage point for viewing the Hong Kong '97 Spectacular. Spectator vessels might only be able to watch the fireworks display which lasted for 10 minutes during the one-hour spectacular. To ensure safe navigation and orderly disembarkation of passengers after the fireworks displays, two sterile areas, one at the Kowloon Public Pier and the other at Queen's Pier, will be set up from 9 pm to 10 pm on June 30 and between 10.30 pm and 11.30 pm on July 1 respectively. These two sterile areas will include the water areas fronting the respective piers and to a distance of about 90 metres offshore. They will be physically marked by the deployment of Marine Department and Marine Police launches to line up offshore. Mr Chung said that vessels intending to use the piers were required to wait at the designated gathering areas prior to berthing and, under the direction of Marine Department and Marine Police launches, vessels would only be permitted to enter the sterile areas from the east and depart from the west. At the time of the closure of the Central Victoria Harbour for the fireworks displays, the Wan Chai Public Cargo Working Area will be closed for operation between 5 pm on June 30 and 7 am the following day, and during the corresponding period from July 1 to July 2. During the closure of the cargo working area, there would be no entry nor departure of unauthorised vessels, vehicles and personnel, Mr Chung said. Turning to the departure of the HMY Britannia and HMS Chatham, Mr Chung said that the HMS Chatham would slip mooring at the Central Helipad adjacent to the Prince of Wales Building by 12.35 am on July 1 and the HMY Britannia by 12.55 am on the same day. The convoy would depart via the Hung Hom Fairway, Eastern Fairway and Lei Yue Mun Pass. "Spectator vessels waiting to watch the official departure of the convoy should stay south of the Central Fairway and avoid entering the exclusion zones. The fairway would be maintained through for traffic," he continued. He also said that spectator vessels intending to follow the convoy should do so only with a safe distance and keep well clear from the exclusion zone and should not stop within the fairways. Between 1 pm and 2 pm on July 1, 100 fishing vessels each measuring about 20 metres in length will proceed into Victoria Harbour to celebrate the handover. The fishing vessels will come from Tuen Mun, Shau Kei Wan, Aberdeen and Cheung Chau. They will gather at the north of Kau Yi Chau. The vessels will be separated into four groups and escorted by Marine Department launches while transiting the Southern Fairway, Central Fairway, Hung Hom Fairway, Eastern Fairway and Lei Yue Mun Pass. Seventy-five fishing vessels will then return to Victoria Harbour and disperse at the south of Stonecutters Island. Mr Chung said that vessels should keep a wide berth to the fishing vessels and navigate with extreme caution. Regarding safety measures of all vessels during the handover and related events, Mr Chung gave the following advise:- All vessels navigating in Victoria Harbour between Green Island and Lei Yue Mun should proceed at a safe speed which should not generally exceed five knots; Every vessel should at all times maintain a proper look-out, and take measures including switching off of cabin lights to avoid obscuring the view of the look-out; and Searchlights should not be used on or from any vessel as the direction of such bright lights on other vessels will interfere with their keeping of a proper look-out and their safe operation. Also, vessels should not hurry to leave the viewing areas immediately after the events. As for masters, owners and operators of all vessels, Mr Chung advised them to take heed of the following measures before proceeding on a voyage:- All persons on board are aware of the location of all life saving appliances and that they know how to put on a lifejacket properly. A practical demonstration is recommended; All children on board wear lifejackets at all times; A passenger list is prepared for ready use of emergency services. This list should include the names of all passengers and crew on board, and should be kept by the master; and The carrying capacity shown on the licence of a vessel is not exceeded. Mr Chung stressed that masters, owners and operators of small vessels, in particular small vessels with no decking or those of less than five metres in length, should not proceed into or remain in the central harbour area during the events. "In areas of high traffic density such small vessels are vulnerable to the wash from larger vessels and are not easily detected by larger vessels with higher freeboard," he said. The Marine Department has published a Marine Department Notice No. 97 of 1997 to give full details of the special marine traffic measures. Free copies of the notice are available from the Victoria Marine Office on the third floor, Harbour Building, 38 Pier Road, Hong Kong and also from Marine Department Homepage on the Internet. The address is http://www.info.gov.hk/mardep. Mr Chung recommended masters, owners and operators of vessels to get copies of the notice and read it before proceeding on a voyage. Tuesday, June 24, 1997
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