>Press Releases Home > Publications and press releases > Press Releases Fireworks spectators on boats urged to beware of safety Members of the public who wish to view the 1999 Lunar New Year Day Fireworks Display next Wednesday (February 17) on vessels are reminded that they should hire appropriate vessels to ensure safety and sufficient protection. A spokesman for the Marine Department (MD)today (Thursday) reiterated that pleasure vessels were not permitted by law to be used for commercial purposes and therefore spectators should not hire these vessels for watching the fireworks display. During the fireworks display, the MD, Marine Police (Marpol) and the Fire Services Department (FSD) will jointly implement a series of marine traffic arrangements in Victoria Harbour to ensure safety. The fireworks will be discharged from six barges anchoring in pairs at three firing points in Central Victoria Harbour off Wan Chai, starting at 8 pm. The spokesman said that a closed area encompassing the fireworks barges would be established from 3.30 pm to about 11 pm, during which it would 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 about 9 pm, Central Victoria Harbour will be designated a restricted area," he said. The eastern limit of the restricted area will be a straight line joining the Hung Hom Railway Station Cargo Pier and the breakwater at Kellet Island Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club, while the western limit will be a straight line joining the southwest extremity of Ocean Terminal and the Central Government Pier. "During the effective period of restriction, no vessel other than excepted vessels will be allowed to enter or remain within the restricted area," the spokesman said. "The excepted vessels are government launches, vessels directly involved in the fireworks display, and vessels which have obtained special permission from the Director of Marine," he added. To facilitate crowd control on shore, all landing steps situated within the restricted area will also be closed to marine traffic from 7 pm to 9 pm. When the restricted area is lifted at about 9 pm, the closed area around the fireworks barges will still be in force until about 11 pm. As the waters to the west of the restricted area will not be a good viewing location due to heavy traffic conditions, the spokesman advised spectator vessels from the west to proceed to the east before the closure of Victoria Harbour. To ensure safe navigation and orderly disembarkation of passengers after the fireworks displays, two sterile areas will be set up at Kowloon Public Pier and Queen's Pier respectively from 8 pm to 10 pm. 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 MD and Marpol launches lining up offshore. The spokesman said that vessels intending to use the piers would be required to wait at a designated gathering areas prior to berthing and, under the direction of MD and Marpol launches, vessels would only be permitted to enter the sterile areas from the east and depart from the west. To ensure their own safety during the Lunar New Year fireworks display, coxswains of spectator vessels should observe the following : 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 to avoid obscuring the view of the look-out, including switching off cabin lights; 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; 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 event. 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; and vessels should not hurry to leave the viewing areas immediately after the event. Masters, owners and operators of vessels are also reminded that before proceeding on a voyage, they must ensure that : all persons on board are aware of the location of all life saving appliances and know how to put on a life jacket properly. A practical demonstration is recommended; all children on board wear life jackets 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. In the event that a vessel is in danger and requires assistance, the master or coxswain can : call the MD on VHF radio channel 16 using the call sign "Hong Kong Rescue", or on the telephone number 2545 0181; call the MarPol on the telephone number 2803 6241; call 999; or indicate the need of assistance by using distress signals. A MD Notice No. 13 of 1999 has been published to give full details of the special marine traffic measures. Free copies of this notice are available from the Central Marine Office on the 3/F., Harbour Building, 38 Pier Road, Hong Kong, and also from the MD Homepage at http://www.info.gov.hk/mardep on the Internet. Thursday, 11 February 1999
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