Gac Hong Kong News

Yacht races between Hong Kong and Macau will take place on 26 September (Saturday) and 28 September 2015 (Monday). About 25 sailing boats are expected to participate in the races. The outbound trip from Hong Kong to Macau will start at 1000 hours on 26 September 2015 in an area south-east of Lamma Island (in the vicinity of Yuen Kok Light). (b) Course 2 – a south-westerly route through the southern boundary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, thence to Macau if the wind is coming from the south. (b) Course 2 – a route through south of Xiaozhi Zhou, the southern boundary of the Hong Kong Special Administration Region and to complete the race at a position east of Cheung Chau if the wind is coming from the south.

The Hong Kong SAR Marine Department has advised that on 1 July the existing Merchant Shipping (Prevention of Pollution by Garbage) Regulation (Cap 413J) was replaced by a new Regulation, namely, the Merchant Shipping (Prevention of Pollution by Garbage) Regulation (Cap 413O) giving effect to the latest requirements of the MARPOL Annex V -- Prevention of Pollution by Garbage from Ships. This new regulation applies to ships within Hong Kong waters and Hong Kong registered ships wherever they are. Details of Cap 413O can be found from the website - www.legislation.gov.hk/eng/home.htm. 2.2 a ship of 12 metres or more in length overall must display a Garbage Discharge Placard (GDP) onboard to notify crew and passengers of the garbage discharge requirements.

A yacht race from Hong Kong to Hainan Dao will take place on 16 October 2014 (Thursday). About 20 yachts are expected to participate in the race. The race will start at 1320 hours on 16 October 2014 off the Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter, and follow an easterly route through the harbour, Tathong Channel and Lo Chau Mun, thence to Hainan Dao. Masters, coxswains and persons-in-charge of vessels navigating in the vicinity of the race route should proceed with caution, giving practical consideration to the contestants. Compliance with the provisions of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972 is mandatory.

Amendments to the Shipping and Port Control Ordinance (Cap. 313) and the Merchant Shipping (Local Vessels) Ordinance (Cap. 548) to enhance the control of dark smoke emission from vessels have been gazetted on 18 July 2014 and come into immediate effect. Shipping and Port Control Ordinance (Cap. Pursuant to the amended Section 50 of Cap. 313, it is an offence for any vessel in the waters of Hong Kong to emit dark smoke which is as dark as, or darker than, Shade 2 on the Ringelmann Chart for 3 minutes or more continuously at any one time. In case of contravention, the owner of the vessel, his agent and the master each commits an offence and is liable to a fine of HK$25,000 for a first conviction, and to a fine of HK$50,000 for any subsequent conviction.

GAC Hong Kong’s multiple eco-friendly efforts were awarded First Prize in the GAC Group Chairman’s Award for Environmental Excellence for 2012. Since 2009, the company has been recycling paper, aluminum, plastic, toner cartridges, electronic equipment and more. In 2011, GAC Hong Kong’s recycling efforts helped it reduce its carbon footprint by almost four tons, and earned it the second prize in the Chairman’s Award. In 2012, its broad and sustained commitment continued, and the company’s carbon footprint was reduced by more than five tons. The company’s commitment to preserving the environment went beyond the office, with staff volunteering for coastal clean-ups and tree-planting schemes organized by local environmental groups.