A leisurely ride on Ocean Park's cable car line lasted eight minutes longer for about 280 people yesterday after one of the rubber belts in the system broke.
Ocean Park chairman Allan Zeman described the incident as 'a minor technical fault' that 'happens all the time'.
The incident, which occurred at 1.43pm, was reported to the police. The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department was also informed and will receive a report from Ocean Park today. The department conducts spot checks on the cable car system, a spokesman said.
A spokesman for the marine-themed park, which marked its 30th anniversary early this year, said the operating system automatically shut down the cable car line after detecting a mechanical problem at the Headland terminal station. Rubber belts are used to help transport cabins in and out of the terminal stations.
The broken belt was replaced by the park's engineers and, after final testing, normal operation was resumed at 1.51pm.
The spokesman said the problem was an isolated incident and stressed that passenger safety was not compromised even though first-aid teams were sent to both terminal stations.