8th Meeting of the Liaison Group for the Shipping Community

14 July 2017

Twenty-one representatives from shipping companies, container and cruise terminal operators, the Hong Kong Pilots Association and the Marine Department attended the 8 ^th meeting of the Liaison Group for the Shipping Community at the Observatory on 3 July 2017.

Before the meeting, Mr Shun Chi-ming, Director of the Hong Kong Observatory, presented awards to outstanding Hong Kong Voluntary Observing Ships (HKVOS) in 2016 for their dedicated efforts in making weather observations at seas. The ships receiving the awards included: Dapeng Sun, Min Lu, Shen Hai and Dapeng Moon for the Diamond Award; and Star Pisces, OOCL Washington, OOCL Seoul and OOCL Jakarta for the Gold Award. Mr. Shun also presented a certificate to OOCL Jakarta for her help in deploying five drifting buoys over the South China Sea to measure atmospheric pressure and sea temperature in 2016.

During the meeting, the Observatory briefed the shipping community of the new services launched this year, such as the “Extended Outlook” and “Hong Kong Lightning Nowcast” service. The Observatory would also explore ways to provide more tailored and user-friendly weather information for ships, and would continue to upgrade the meteorological equipment onboard the HKVOS.

Director of the Hong Kong Observatory, Mr Shun Chi-ming (centred), presenting awards to the outstanding HKVOS in 2016

Participants of the 8th meeting of the Liaison Group for the Shipping Community