This has been put into place just the other day, several hundred metres off the YSW ferry pier.

Anybody got an idea what it's for?

Mini oil drilling rig?
HK Electric undersea cable repair or maintenance?
Related to the Sewage Treatment plant outfall pipes?
New sightseeing spot or Lamma Marine Park?
Scuba diving platform?
Seabird watching/photographing hideout?

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Its for taking Core samples of the sea bed and underlying rock.

Probably parked there or maybe for the sewage

The next Cartier party is going to be be really exclusive!

Hope it's not owned by BP

As a Lamma newbie, I was quite shocked by this eyesore's sudden appearance.

My question: How long will I have to look at this ugly piece of crap on my way to work everyday?

I'm also surprised by the mild response on the forums. I thought people would be up in arms about this. This forum just seems to shrug.

Do people just randomly put up ugly industrial platforms in the ferry harbor? Will it be gone soon?

I guess I am usually too rush in the morning to enjoy the pier view, but alas, it is such an eye sore. Hope it will be gone soon.

What would you suggest we do? Go Greenpeace and assault it with Zodiacs?

No doubt a notice was posted for a few hours on some noticeboard a year ago informing us of this fact and no one noticed before it was torn down or covered up.

It's fairly obviously taking core samples for some project, if and when that goes ahead they'll have to be a bit more forthcoming.

I don't find it ugly, rather interesting

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Unless I dreamt it, this was there towards the end of last year for a bit. It disappeared and is back. Not sure what the fuss is about. I assume it is for taking some sort of tests of the seabed and will no doubt be taken away again.

If it strikes oil, can Lamma declare independence please.

No need to go all Greenpeace, "up in arms" is just a figure of speech. I'm merely puzzled by the forum reaction. Much more heated discussion somewhere on this forum about a pile of gravel that was far less public.

I don't see how it would be obvious it's for core samples. Unless you're a marine biologist, scientist or in the oil industry. Is that you Alan?

Actually, what are core samples, anyway?

Your newbie status explains your shock - these things are old hat around here and they usually go away quite quickly. As Alan says it's a survey of some sort - probably an environmental assesment survey for a poo pipe or somesuch - not an oil rig. You won't have to worry about it spoiling your view for long. A core sample finds out how deep the poo is.

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No, I don't work in the oil industry.
But I'll bet anything you like that it is taking core samples.
Nothing else it could be around here.

As such it's temporary and relatively inoffensive. Gravel piles (not sure which one you mean) can be around much longer (there's one near our place for over a year) and bring with them noise and dust.

As far as I can guess the flag is of FUGRO - site investigation specialist contractor specialized in offshore investigation. Someone having contacts with FUGRO may be able to find out the reason for the drilling. Just for curiosity only. I do not see any problem with the rig intrusion to Lamma's "territorial" waters. Nobody asks Lammaites their consent to anchoring ships, derriks and barges along the ferry route. The same is probably with the rig.

What comes to my mind is an alignment of sewage outfall tunnel to the existing HATS project from about 10 years ago (that time SSDS - Strategic Sewage Disposal Scheme). The purpose of the tunnel was to discharge treated wastes far from Hong Kong coast. The alignment was close to Lamma. This project certainly needs lots of geological investigation.

Okay, now I get the shrug. Like I said, I'm a noob. Good to know its only temporary.

Now I kinda like it - temporary eyesores randomly popping up adds another charming surreal aspect to this island.

Thanks on the core sample explanation.

OK, the guessing game has gone on for long enough. I've enquired with a few official sources and my second (serious) guess above was right.

Email from the Sewage Treatment Plant builders:

"This sea platform is a drilling rig for marine site investigation from our sub-contractor under our sewage project to determine the geological profile under the seabed as a preparation work for the submarine outfall construction in coming months.

This sea platform will keep stay on site(sea) for works for about 2 weeks more."<HR>
Here's the map, published in the Lamma-zine a few weeks back (Nov 2: Sewerage Construction, When Will It End?) showing the 500 metre long Sewage Treatment Plant's "Submarine Outfall" pipe:

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Like I said, a poo pipe.

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Short & concise, Marc Antony.

I think the sewage engineers might not full agree, after all that future, fancy, very expensive (200+ million $s?) Sewage Treatment Plant is supposed to clean up all our poo before discharging it outside our harbour.

But should I call my Lamma-zine story on this topic "Drilling Rig for Site Investigation for Submarine Outfall of Sewage Treatment Plant", as I originally planned, or "THE POO PIPE"???

You win! Thanks for a great headline!

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I just got Google-Alerted to a few more details about this "Marine Site Investigation", see this notice from the Marine Dept.
http://www.mardep.gov.hk/en/notices/pdf/mdn11002.pdf

It looks like they're going to move the platform by tugboat a few more times along the future "Poo Pipe", ever closer to the Sewage Treatment Plant (currently under construction until 2014), boring more holes into the seabed to investigate the suitability of the seabed for the submarine Poo Pipe.
Works will probably be completed by Chin. New Year, first week of Feb.

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