>Press Releases Home > Publications and press releases > Press Releases Ships advised to take precautions against Y2K bug Operators of ships entering, leaving and navigating in Hong Kong waters have been advised to take precautions to prevent the possible impact of the millennium bug during the New Year Eve, a spokesman for the Marine Department said today (Wednesday). "The millennium bug may lead to functional error of certain shipboard equipment, marine electronic system, machinery control, monitoring and automation equipment," the spokesman said. In addition to January 1, 2000, there are several other dates during which this problem may also occur. They include January 1, 1999 and September 9, 1999. Potential problems exist in some computer systems in which "99" or "9/9/99" has been used to indicate the end of a file or a list, he explained. The Marine Department has issued notice to all ship agents, reminding them to ensure that all vessels should have undertaken necessary precautions and carried out proper tests to their equipment, particularly computer or microprocessor based systems, before leaving, entering or navigating in Hong Kong waters on the above dates. "As a preventive measure, any vessel entering Hong Kong at 11 pm tomorrow (Thursday) or leaving thereafter, and which cannot confirm proper functioning of her machinery and automatic systems, will be required to employ an escort tug to stand by for any emergency situations," the spokesman said. Meanwhile, the department has held a meeting with ferry companies and issued a letter to each of them to advise them to take precautionary measures. "All high speed passenger ferries expected to be underway within the Victoria Harbour at midnight tomorrow (Thursday) are advised to reduce speed at 11.45 pm." "They should proceed at the speed stipulated in Regulation 19 of Shipping and Port Control Regulations in accordance with their lengths until the vessels are berthed or cleared of the harbour limit," he said. "For ferries which are berthed in the harbour at midnight tomorrow (Thursday), they should also proceed at the speed as required by Regulation 19 for 15 minutes on the first outbound trip or clear of the harbour limit," he added. The department has also advised owners and masters of oil tankers as well as oil terminals operators to carry out proper tests to their equipment, particularly computer or microprocessor embedded system on the bunkering or liquid cargo transferring system. "If proper functioning of the computer system or electronic system of an oil tanker cannot be confirmed, bunkering or liquid cargo transferring operations are advised to cease from 11 pm tomorrow (Thursday) and thereafter," the spokesman said. Wednesday, December 30, 1998
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