Freight Containers (Safety) (Amendment) Bill 2019 gazetted

     The Government gazetted today (October 11) the Freight Containers (Safety) (Amendment) Bill 2019 (the Bill), which aims to incorporate the latest requirements of the International Convention for Safe Containers (the Convention) into local legislation.

     To facilitate the international transport of containers, the Convention was promulgated by the International Maritime Organization to standardise the requirements for testing and inspecting containers, as well as to prescribe the procedures of their maintenance, examination and control for safe transportation. The Convention is implemented in Hong Kong through the Freight Containers (Safety) Ordinance (Cap. 506) (the Ordinance).

     A spokesman for the Transport and Housing Bureau said, "The Bill would incorporate into the Ordinance the updated requirements of the Convention, including specifications for containers with limited stacking capacity, testing procedures and specifications for containers approved for operation with one door open or removed, and alignment of terms and units to be used on the safety approval plates of containers.

     "The amendments proposed in the Bill are highly technical in nature. As ocean-going container vessels have to call at different ports around the world, they are well-informed of the latest relevant requirements and the containers on board these vessels should have already complied with the latest requirements of the Convention when they enter into Hong Kong," the spokesman said.

     The Legislative Council (LegCo) Panel on Economic Development and consultative and advisory committees of the Marine Department have been consulted on the legislative proposal. Members supported the proposal.

     The Bill will be introduced into the LegCo on October 23.