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Hong Kong Branch Report 2017
Vice Chairman Captain Pauk Walton, Honmorary Secretary Captain Amit Bhargava, our dear Committee members - Welcome to this meeting!, I would like to thank each one of you'll for the support you'll have given to the branch and me during this past year. It has been a pleasure and an honour as well as a learning experience to serve as Chairman of the Nautical Institute this past year.
To give a brief report of the year gone by:
The last AGM was held on 17th June 2016.
Our first talk after the summer break was given by Hannafor Forensic Services, titled "Will this rust kill me"on 3oth Oct 2016. Though worrying, it was a fascinating presentation.
At the annual Remembrance Day service held at Statue Square, the branch laid a wreath in memory of the Merchant Seafarers who have given their lives in the various wars. The service is particularly moving and includes prayers from the Anglican, Roman Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Taoist and other faiths that reflect the multi-national forces who defended the Territory in the Second World War.
The following week saw a presentation by David Patraiko, NI Director of Projects, who spoke on "Navigation in the Future"David has spoken to the branch before, and his presentation skills are reflected in the fact that this was the best attended talk of the year, with 60 people present to hear him.
In November, the branch was involved in the HK Maritime Awareness Week - a series of activities were designed to introduce young people to careers at sea. Long-serving committee member Captain Jon Wilson produced a 9-minute video showing hoa a T-shirt makes its way from an overseas factory to a shop in Hong Kong. The video introduced ships and people who operate and control them and had been very well received. It can be viewed on the branch website and we hope other branches may be inspired to produce something similar. It will be shown to secondary school students troughout Hong Kong in the coming months.
The year opened with a talk by Captain Paul Walton of LOC Hong Kong, on 25th February, entitled "Cargo cranes and wire - problems and their prevention.
LOC sponsored the evening and the members were so impressed with the presentation that some suggested Paul should produce a book on the subject.
In early March we visited the Maritime Services Training Institute to see how Hong Kong youngsters are trained for careers at sea, later that month we visited the Vessel Traffic Centre and the MRCC operated by Marine Department. The VTC has recently upgraded its equipment and we were given an excellent overview by the staff.
On 12th May, there was a talk on ECDIS by staff from the UK Hydrographic Office. This was the first activity held at our new venue in the HK Maritime Museum, Our previous venue at the Police Officers Club has been demolished to make way for a new road. The Maritime museum venue was an instant hit with the members because of its beautiful & glorious location at the Victoria Harbour Front. It also has an excellent cafe which is run as a social enterprise. We look forward to holding our meeting here for many years to come. We are deeply grateful to UKHO for assistance with the venue hire.