| YACHT RACES BETWEEN HONG KONG AND MACAU Hong Kong |
| ASBESTOS ON SHIPS Australia |
| Yacht Races between Hong Kong and Macau |
| Monday, June 27, 2016, Hong Kong |
| Yacht races between Hong Kong and Macau will take place on 1 July 2016 (Friday) and 3 July 2016 (Sunday). About 15 sailing boats are expected to participate in the races.The outbound trip from Hong Kong to Macau will start at 1000 hours on 1 July 2016 in an area south-east of Lamma Island (in the vicinity of Yuen Kok Light). Depending on the weather condition, it will follow: (a) Course 1 – a westerly route through south of Lamma Island, south of Tai A Chau, thence to Macau if the wind is coming from the north; OR (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.The return trip from Macau to Hong Kong will start at 1100 hours on 3 July 2016 and will follow: (a) Course 1 – a route through south of Tai A Chau and to complete the race at a position east of Cheung Chau if the wind is coming from the north; OR (b) Course 2 – a route through south of Xiaozhi Zhou and to complete the race at a position east of Cheung Chau if the wind is coming from the south.Masters, coxswains and persons-in-charge of vessels navigating in the vicinity of the race routes 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. (For information about operations in Hong Kong contact GAC Hong Kong at shipping.honkong@gac.com) Source: Government of Hong Kong SAR Marine Department Notice No. 85 of 2016 dated 23 June 2016 |
| Asbestos on ships |
| Monday, June 27, 2016, Australia |
| The Occupational Health and Safety (Maritime Industry) Act 1993 and the subordinate Occupational Health and Safety (Maritime Industry) (National Standards) Regulations 2003 require operators to ensure that hazardous substances such as asbestos are not used at a workplace under their control.An exception has been made for ‘in situ’ asbestos that has been fixed or installed in a ship (or any other structure that forms a maritime workplace) or plant (or any other thing that is used in a maritime workplace) before 31 December 2003 in such a way that it will not constitute a risk unless the asbestos is disturbed. In situ asbestos on ships must be appropriately identified and managed to ensure that the risks posed by asbestos are assessed, controlled and mitigated.The best outcome is the complete removal of asbestos and asbestos containing materials from ships. Any work on the removal or disposal of asbestos should be carried out in accordance with the State or Territory legislation.From 31 December 2003 the installation of asbestos on Australian ships has been prohibited. The same prohibition has been effective internationally from 1 January 2011.
The presence of documentation confirming that no asbestos is present is considered best practice, as is the inclusion of a certificate or report verifying that the samples have been analysed by a body holding National Association of Testing Authorities, Australia (NATA) accreditation for the relevant test method or other equivalent accreditation to internationally recognised standards to conduct independent asbestos inspections and testing on ships. Ship owners and operators should contact the Department of Immigration and Border Protection to ensure that appropriate inspection and certification measures are in place prior to a ship entering Australia. (For information about operations in Australia contact GAC Australia at shipping.australia@gac.com) Source: Extract from Australian Maritime Safety Authority Marine Notice 12/2016 |
