By MarEx

A cross-border ferry carrying more than 80 airport-bound passengers collided with a container ship off Tuen Mun amid poor visibility on Tuesday morning, reports the South China Morning Post. Luckily, no one was injured and the two vessels suffered only minor damage to their hulls.

The ferry was carrying 82 passengers and 10 crew members from Shekou, Guangdong to Skypier at the Hong Kong International Airport on Lantau.

The Marine Department said visibility in Urmston Road (a fairway) off Tap Shek Kok had dropped to 370 meters when the collision happened at about 10.30 a.m. locally. Response vessels from the Marine Department and Marine police were then deployed to the scene.

After an inspection, the ferry was found fit to continue its journey and offloaded all the passengers at its original destination. The Hong Kong-registered container ship remained to be held at the scene to assist the investigation. The Marine Department is still investigating the cause of the incident.

As visibility was lower than 3.7km, the department issued a reminder roughly four hours before the collision for masters, coxswains and crewmembers, advising them to proceed at a safe speed and exercise extreme caution while navigating in Hong Kong waters.

Meanwhile, Tuesday's fog also delayed TurboJet ferry services between Hong Kong and Macau. The Observatory says a mild and humid maritime airstream is bringing foggy weather to Hong Kong.

MARTIME EXECUTIVE