Ships' masters have been warned to watch for computer malfunctions tonight amid fears 1999 could trigger a foretaste of the Y2K bug.
Experts believe some on-board computers could fail when their clocks roll over to 00:00 on January 1, 1999.
The systems have been programmed to recognise '99', the last two digits, as an instruction to stop functioning.
They might also have been programmed to scan dates up to a year ahead, which could trigger problems if they did not recognise the '00' in January 1, 2000, the Y2K bug.
Marine Department Director Tsui Shung-yiu said that if any masters were in doubt, they should get tugs to help guide their vessels.
'The department will also double its watch in case any funny incidents occur,' he said, adding that no one could be sure what might happen.
