The Secretary for Transport and Housing, Mr Frank Chan Fan, today (July 20) officiated at the Maritime and Aviation Internship Scheme Cocktail Reception, where he exchanged views on the development and prospects of the maritime and aviation sectors with local students participating in the Internship Scheme as well as with stakeholders from the maritime and aviation sector.

     In his speech, Mr Chan said that as an international maritime and aviation centre and a regional logistics hub, Hong Kong's maritime and aviation industries have been flourishing. The Government has all along been committed to nurturing more talent for the maritime and aviation sectors, so as to reinforce the sustainable development of the two industries.
 
     Mr Chan also said that the Government has always attached importance to the long-term development of the maritime and aviation industries, which account for 4.2 per cent of Hong Kong's gross domestic product. The Government would continue to push forward with manpower development work to groom talents for the two industries. On the maritime front, through better use of the Maritime and Aviation Training Fund (MATF), the Hong Kong Maritime and Port Board has been working closely with the industry to actively drive and facilitate the development of the maritime sector and high value-added maritime services, as well as provide relevant training programmes, with a view to promoting Hong Kong’s position as an international maritime centre. As regards the aviation industry, the Government will continue to collaborate with the Hong Kong International Aviation Academy and the industry to encourage young people to join aviation-related programmes through the MATF, so that they can acquire knowledge about the aviation sector and enhance their skills thereon. Mr Chan said he hoped that the participating students would actively consider joining the maritime and aviation industries upon their graduation, and become a new force in the two sectors. 
 
     Launched in 2014, the $100 million MATF has been in operation for five years and been well received by industry stakeholders and participants of various related schemes. For the Maritime and Aviation Internship Scheme under the MATF, more than 60 companies have participated in the Scheme this year, offering nearly 780 internship places and representing an increase of more than 20 per cent compared to last year. Through participation in the internship programme, students can gain exposure to the wide spectrum of career opportunities in the two sectors, allowing them to better understand the career prospects of various positions. 
 
     More details about the MATF and the internship scheme are available from the Transport and Housing Bureau at https://www.thb.gov.hk/eng/whatsnew/transport/2014/20140401.htm.

     Police will implement special traffic arrangements to facilitate a public procession to be held on Hong Kong Island this Sunday (July 22).

Road closure
——————

     The following roads will be intermittently closed from 1.30pm until the crowd has dispersed and traffic resumes normal:

– Tin Chiu Street;
– Marble Road;
– Kam Hong Street;
– Westbound King’s Road;
– Westbound Causeway Road;
– Irving Street;
– Pennington Street;
– Westbound Yee Wo Street;
– Jardine’s Bazaar;
– Westbound Hennessy Road;
– Westbound Queensway;
– Westbound Queen’s Road Central;
– Westbound Queen’s Road West; and
– Chiu Kwong Street.

     The following road sections will be closed from about 3pm until the crowd has dispersed:

– Northbound Wyndham Street between Wellington Street and Queen’s Road Central, except for vehicles heading to On Lan Street carpark; and
– Northbound Cochrane Street between Stanley Street and Queen’s Road Central.

Traffic diversions
———————–
     
     The following traffic diversion arrangements will be implemented from about 3pm until the crowd has dispersed:

– Traffic along northbound Wyndham Street must turn left to westbound Wellington Street, except for vehicles heading to On Lan Street car park; and
– Traffic along westbound Stanley Street must turn left to southbound Cochrane Street.

Suspension of parking spaces
—————————————-

     Metered parking spaces No. 3040(A), 3040(B), 3041(A), 3041(B) at Marble Road will be suspended between 10pm on July 21 and 6pm the following day.

     Vehicles may not be permitted to access or leave the car parks along the procession route during the road closure period.

     Actual implementation of the traffic arrangements will be made depending on traffic and crowd conditions in the area. Motorists are advised to exercise tolerance and patience and take heed of instructions of the Police on site.

     Police will implement special traffic arrangements to facilitate a public procession to be held on Hong Kong Island tomorrow (July 21).

     The following roads will be intermittently closed from 1pm until the crowd has dispersed and traffic resumes normal:
     
– Luard Road between Johnston Road and Hennessy Road;
– Thomson Road between Johnston Road and Luard Road;
– Westbound Hennessy Road between Luard Road and Fenwick Street;
– Northbound Fenwick Street between Hennessy Road and Lockhart Road;
– Westbound Lockhart Road between Fenwick Street and Arsenal Street; and
– Northbound Arsenal Street between Hennessy Road and Harcourt Road.

     Actual implementation of the traffic arrangements will be made depending on traffic and crowd conditions in the area. Motorists are advised to exercise tolerance and patience and take heed of instructions of the Police on site.

​     Waihong Environmental Services Limited was fined $50,000 at Shatin Magistrates' Courts today (July 20) for violation of the Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance. The prosecution was launched by the Labour Department.
 
​     The case involved a fatal accident that occurred on December 22, 2017 in Ma On Shan. While a worker was carrying out refuse collection work on the upper floors of a residential building, he fell into a refuse chute and was stuck inside. He was later certified dead.

     Hong Kong Customs today (July 20) seized about 7 100 kilograms of suspected pangolin scales with an estimated market value of about $3.55 million from a container at the Tsing Yi Cargo Examination Compound.

     Through risk assessment, Customs officers inspected a 40-foot container declared to contain plastic materials arriving in Hong Kong from Nigeria. Upon inspection, Customs officers found the suspected pangolin scales in the container.

     Investigation is ongoing.

     Under the Import and Export Ordinance, any person found guilty of importing or exporting unmanifested cargo is liable to a maximum fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years.

     Under the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance, any person found guilty of importing or exporting an endangered species without a licence is liable to a maximum fine of $10 million and imprisonment for 10 years.

     Members of the public may report any suspected smuggling activities to the Customs 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk).