Hebe Jebes Issue Sep to Oct 2013 Sep 2013 | Page 46

Features

T

here are about
1,900 moorings
in Hong Kong
and about 30 are
currently available.

HJ: What’s the latest situation with moorings in Causeway Bay?

HJ: Is it OK to anchor in typhoon shelters around Hong Kong?

MD: In the Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter, there were 290
private moorings in use inside. Due to marine works, 104 of
the private moorings were relocated to the Aberdeen South
Typhoon Shelter and two private moorings were relocated to
Middle Island in October 2010. It is expected that the affected
private moorings will return to Causeway Bay in 2020.

MD: Yes, except in areas where anchoring is prohibited,
coxswains and owners of local vessels may anchor their
vessels at any safe and suitable areas in Hong Kong waters.
Vessels should observe the relevant provisions in the Merchant
Shipping (Local Vessels) (Typhoon Shelters) Regulation when
anchoring in typhoon shelters.

HJ: What advice would you give boat owners if they have a vessel
that has been deemed oversized for their mooring and have received
MarDep notification to move off the mooring?

So, snap up the available moorings, and if you miss out don’t
worry, you’re still free to anchor in any safe and suitable area
in Hong Kong waters—except, obviously, where anchoring
is prohibited. Just remember that, insurance-wise, if the T3, or
above, Typhoon Signal is hoisted you will need to immediately
proceed to a designated typhoon shelter or managed marina
mooring. Marine insurance policies state something to the effect
that: if you are not already at your usual mooring, as specified
in your policy, you must immediately sail for and moor at your
specified mooring or any Hong Kong Government Typhoon
Shelter—and you need to remain there until the typhoon signal
has been lowered.

MD: If the mooring owner is at the same time also the owner of
the overlength vessel, they may consider applying to the Marine
Depar tment for having the subject overlength vessel or another
vessel of appropriate length owned by them as the designated
vessel for the mooring. The Marine Depar tment will then
arrange a site visit to be conducted with the owner to ascer tain
whether the existing mooring space can accommodate the
vessel named in the application. In the case that the overlength
vessel is not a licensed vessel under their ownership, the owner
is required to remove the vessel as soon as possible.

Source: Marine Department of the HKSAR. For more details regarding private mooring, visit the Marine Department’s webpages: www.mardep.gov.hk/en/
forms/home.html#privmoor; and www.mardep.gov.hk/en/pub_services/ocean/pdf/ocean_privatemooring.pdf

44 Hebe jebes