LIMITS could be placed on high-speed craft in the increasingly congested harbour following a collision yesterday involving two Chinese-registered passenger catamarans in which 14 people were injured.
Concerns were also raised within the marine industry about the standard of mainland operators in Hong Kong after it was discovered that one of the vessels had been involved in two other serious accidents in the past two years.
The Marine Department expressed frustration at its inability to force operators to comply with international maritime rules and called for greater fines for masters who flouted them.
Yesterday's accident was the third involving the Chinese-owned catamaran Tai Ping on the same route in two years.
The craft, carrying 99 passengers from Hong Kong to Tai Ping in China, collided with the Hai Chang, 500 metres southwest of Tsing Yi Island at 9 am.
The Hai Chang, the larger of the two vessels but carrying only 56 passengers, was returning from Zhuhai and struck the Tai Ping on its port side just south of the Ma Wan marine fairway. They should have passed in opposite directions.