Special traffic and transport arrangements for Christmas market at Stanley Plaza
The Transport Department (TD) today (December 12) reminded the public that to facilitate the holding of a Christmas market at Stanley Plaza on December 14, 15 and 21 to 26, the following special traffic and transport arrangements will be implemented in the area:
* The section of Stanley New Street between Stanley Village Road and Stanley Market Road will be temporarily closed to all vehicular traffic from 11am to 6pm daily on the above dates (except for vehicles of local residents, police, emergency services and vehicles with permits).
* Pedestrian precincts will be implemented on Stanley Main Street and Stanley Market Road on the following dates and hours:
Location of pedestrian precinct |
Effective date |
Effective hours |
Stanley Main Street |
December 14, 15, 21, 22 and 24 to 26 |
11am to 11pm |
December 23 |
11am to 9pm |
Stanley Market Road |
December 14, 21 and 24 to 26 |
11am to 11pm |
December 15, 22 and 23 |
11am to 9pm |
* The services of Citybus route Nos. 63, 65 and 260, and Hong Kong Island green minibus Route Nos. 40, 40X and 52 will be strengthened subject to passenger demand during the event.
The TD anticipates that the traffic in the vicinity of Stanley and its approach roads will be busy during the holding of the above event. Members of the public should use public transport services as far as possible, or consider using the free shuttle bus services provided by the event organiser. Due to the limited number of parking spaces at Stanley Plaza, motorists who have not reserved parking spaces with the event organiser should avoid driving to the vicinity. Motorists should exercise tolerance and patience when traffic iscongested and follow the instructions of the Police.
For details of the special traffic and transport arrangements, members of the public can browse the TD's website (www.td.gov.hk) or mobile application "HKeMobility". They should also pay attention to the latest traffic news through the media.
Government proposes legislative amendments to implement Block Registration Incentive Scheme in Hong Kong Shipping Registry
The Government will gazette tomorrow (December 13) a proposal to amend the Merchant Shipping (Registration) (Fees and Charges) Regulations (Cap. 415A) for implementing the Block Registration Incentive Scheme in the Hong Kong Shipping Registry (HKSR), with a view to attracting more shipowners to register their ships in Hong Kong.
The Scheme is one of the proposed action measures in the Action Plan on Maritime and Port Development Strategy promulgated by the Government in December last year. Under the Scheme, if more than one eligible ship is registered with the HKSR within 24 months, the owners of the ships concerned may be provided with a refund of the ship registration fee and the first-year annual tonnage charge. One application may cover ships of different owners and may be submitted by a shipowner, ship manager or ship agent.
A spokesperson of the Transport and Logistics Bureau said, "The HKSR is renowned for both its quality and quantity. Hong Kong-registered ships rank as the fourth largest in the world in terms of gross tonnage; the Port State Control detention rate of Hong Kong-registered ships is only 0.81 per cent, which is significantly lower than the world average of 3.39 per cent, reflecting the high degree of safety and reliability of the Hong Kong fleet, which has earned us an outstanding reputation in the world. Even though the current registration fee of the HKSR is highly competitive, we have noticed that some other major flag states and administrations have already rolled out block registration incentives. We thus deem it necessary to launch a similar scheme in Hong Kong, with a view to further strengthening the HKSR's competitiveness and fostering our leading position among shipping registries in the world. The Marine Department will actively reach out to shipowners and shipping-related companies to promote the Scheme through its network on the Mainland and overseas."
The Government has consulted relevant stakeholders in the shipping industry on the Scheme, and the trade has expressed support. The Government also proposes to amend the Merchant Shipping (Fees) Regulations (Cap. 281F) to delete some antiquated provisions.
The proposed legislative amendments will be tabled at the Legislative Council on December 18 for negative vetting. The target is to implement them on February 14, 2025.
