The Civil Engineering and Development Department is responsible for the planning, design and construction of public marine facilities including piers, beacons, offshore helipads, breakwaters, seawalls, navigation channels and anchorage areas. In 2005, the department completed reconstruction of the public piers at Cheung Chau and Wu Kai Sha, and continued reconstruction of the public piers at Sha Tau Kok, Wong Shek and Ko Lau Wan and construction of a new pier and boardwalk at Stanley.

Hong Kong is one of the busiest ports in the world and the department plays an important role in its upkeep. It serves as the maintenance authority for civil engineering marine works and provides maintenance services to ferry piers and public and government marine facilities, as well as maintenance dredging of the harbour and tidal sections of some major river channels. The public and government marine facilities being maintained by the department include 506 hectares of typhoon shelters, 8 kilometres of quay at public cargo working areas, 12 kilometres of breakwaters, 118 kilometres of seawalls, 306 piers and public landing steps, 96 dolphins (mooring structures), 14 100 hectares of fairways and 3 590 hectares of anchorage areas.

The department has always employed the latest technologies to facilitate effective maintenance, such as using cathodic protection for reinforced concrete and aerial photogrammetry for monitoring rubble-mound breakwaters and seawalls.