Introduction


Hong Kong, with an extremely busy port, is one of the maritime centres in the world. Since 1991, Hong Kong has maintained the position of the world’s busiest container port for eight times. The territory’s huge infrastructure also supports the maritime industry.


Hong Kong was one of the ports of registry under the U.K. Shipping Registry until the end of 1990. Since December 1990, a new autonomous Hong Kong Shipping Registry has been in operation. The certification and examination scheme for merchant navy officers have been redesigned to cater for the change. At the moment, all matters relating to the examinations and certification are being dealt with by the Marine Department and the Office of the Telecommunications Authority.


In the past 20 years, the merchant navy has experienced substantial changes. The use of increasingly sophisticated equipment together with the introduction of container liners have modified both the character and composition of modern merchant fleets. Indeed, to a contemporary seaman, work at sea now means the application of complex skills and knowledge of advanced technology.

While on board, the crew can be classified into “officers” and “ratings”. Officers are higher up in the occupational pyramid. Ratings are responsible for supporting duties in the running of the ship


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