Page 22 - Sphere No.29 (Jun 2011)

20 Sphere 29
the terminals and minimise the impact of these
incidents on the community,” he said.
HIT has a comprehensive set of adverse
weather procedures in place for any situation, be
it heavy rain, thunderstorms, or a typhoon. All
preparation procedures are escalated depending on
the seriousness of the situation and vice versa.
In all weathers
Fog is another weather hazard for Pearl River Delta
ports. Shenzhen was affected by fog for a number
of days in March this year and pilot boats stopped
operations for an extended period. “We’re working
with the Mainland authorities to see if we can
resume operations faster after such incidents,”
said Hai Chi-yuet, Managing Director of Yantian
International Container Terminals. She added that
the Pearl River Delta ports also have to deal with
that the knock-on effect of ships delayed because of
thick fog further up the China coast, in Shanghai
and Ningbo.
For HK Electric, severe rainstorms and flooding
are particular challenges in the city’s steamy sum-
mers. After downpours flooded parts of Hong Kong
Island in 2008, for example, the company surveyed
electricity substations located in potentially vulner-
able “black spots” and upgraded their ability to
withstand storm and flood waters.
Last year two rainstorms were graded the most
severe “black” category, describing more than
70 mm of rain expected within an hour. The power
system stood up well. There was no flooding to any
of the electricity substations.
“We’re proud that we’re able to uphold the
resilience of our system in adverse conditions
caused by severe weather” said Ip Pak-nin, HK
Electric’s General Manager (Transmission and
Distribution).
As storms approach Hong Kong
during the typhoon season, which
typically runs from May to September,
containers are securely lashed at HIT.
Husky is on alert to
halt operations when
storms threaten
exploration and
production during
the Atlantic hurricane
season, from June to
November.