"The Police are dealing with the injured passengers on our ferry, the overall condition is fine." Having a walkie-talkie on hand, Hung Shun-leung was able to grab the latest situation about the rescue.

The Hong Kong Marine Department's Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Center (MRCC) conducted a maritime search and rescue exercise Wednesday. Acting Senior Marine Officer of MRCC Hung Shun-leung was the co-ordinator of the exercise.

Four other Hong Kong government departments including Government Flying Service, Marine Police, Fire Services Department and Civil Aid Service participated in the drill which was carried out in the waters west of Ha Mei Wan of Lamma Island.

The exercise, code-named "SAREX 2005", established a mock scenario in which two high-speed ferries were reported to have collided. Some 50 passengers and crew on both vessels were reported to have injured and required immediate medical assistance and evacuation.

"'SAREX 2005' aimed to test the efficiency of the alert and response systems between high-speed ferries and the MRCC, the contingency plan on board ferries and their safety procedures, and the responsiveness and communication systems of the various parties involved," said Hung Shun-leung.

During the exercise, the MRCC mounted a search and rescue operation soon after a report on the collision of the ferries was received. About five minutes after the accident, vessels and a helicopter from different rescuing units arrived and started the rescue action.

Although it was just a drill, rescuers performed seriously in every step of the action including treating the injured and evacuating them from the collided ferries to the police launch.

One of the highlights of the exercise was the demonstration of the rescue by helicopter and other concerned search and rescue units of passengers from a ferry and the two passengers who had fallen into the sea.

Hung said that the exercise was to refresh and familiarize related parties with the existing crisis management tools in the event of a collision.

"In view of the increasing popularity and public demands of the high-speed ferries, which carry thousands of people to and from Hong Kong daily, it is necessary to ensure that quick responses and appropriate action are in place quickly in time of emergencies," said he.

One helicopter, two police launches, two fireboats, two Marine Department launch, and two high-speed ferries and one passenger ferry were deployed during the exercise. More than 200 staff members from the participating bodies were involved.

The MRCC is equipped with the most advanced technologies to deal with any emergencies or distress situations round-the-clock.

It is responsible for co-coordinating all available resources to perform search and rescue missions and providing tale-medical advice to ships in the international waters of the South China Sea North of Latitude 10 degree North and West of Longitude 120 degree East.

According to Hung, since the establishment of MRCC in 1989, it has carried out similar drills almost every year in Hong Kong waters to make sure rescuing units as well as ferry service companies to have quick response and high rescue ability when accidents came.