Asia/Pacific News
New Hong Kong Maritime Rule Forbids Dark Smoke
Hong Kong's Marine Department has issued a notice forbidding ships from emitting dark smoke.
Under a new Shipping and Port Control Ordinance, the owner, agent, and master of any ship releasing smoke as dark, or darker than, Shade 2 on the Ringelmaan Chart for three minutes or more at a time may face a HK$25,000 (3,200) fine for a first offense or of HK$50,000 ($6,500) for a subsequent violation.
In addition, a Merchant Shipping (Local Vessels) Ordinance calls for penalties of HK$10,000 ($1,300) for a first conviction or HK$25,000 ($3,200) for a subsequent offense.
Officers suspecting a violation of the rules may require the vessel to report to the Director of Marine to determine whether the ship emits dark smoke, and anyone failing to comply with such an order may face a fine of HK$5,000 (650).
The environmental group Clean Air Network recently said that, with ozone pollution reaching high levels, Hong Kong should adopt an Emissions Control Area (ECA) to reduce shipping pollution.
