Buoys and Anchorages
In Hong Kong, there are two types of Government Mooring Buoys (GMB) serving ocean-going vessels calling on the Hong Kong port:-
Class A GMBs - for vessels up to 183 m in length with drafts between 6.4 m and 9.8 m; and Class B GMBs - for vessels up to 137 m in length with drafts between 6.4 m and 9.1 m.
GMBs allow ocean going vessels moored at anchorages to transfer their cargo to and from barges secured to the ships' sides. GMBs can also serve as typhoon moorings for vessels during extreme weather conditions, and can be used for other non-cargo activities such as mooring of cruise ships.
In Hong Kong, cargo handling can also take place at anchorages. There are 16 such anchorages with a combined area of 3,606 hectares.
In 2013, a total of 1.8 million TEUs of containers and 26.4 million tonnes of non-containerised cargo were handled at the buoys and anchorages.