Some sailors are ignoring safety at sea at a time when shipping between Hong Kong and southern China is rapidly expanding, the Marine Department warned yesterday.
The warning came after three passengers were injured in Sunday's collision involving a Chinese gunboat and a Hong Kong Ferry Company catamaran from Macau.
The Chinese boat was on a sea trial, run by its Guangdong manufacturer, Whampoa Shipyard, off Lantau Island inside Chinese waters.
Liu Hon-por, a senior marine officer in vessel traffic control, said smaller vessels from Hong Kong and southern China often ignored safety procedures despite busy cross-border traffic at sea.
Mr Liu said sea-faring vessels tended to follow safety procedures better than local smaller boats because of more experienced boat captains.
In 1994, there were 377 accidents involving local and international vessels in Hong Kong waters. Last year, there were 423 accidents.
