Despite no specific date, HK gov’t works to resume ferry to Macau
Even after nearly three years of suspension, ferry services between Macau and Hong Kong downtown show no sign of resuming service.
The terminals in downtown Hong Kong are the Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Terminal in Sheung Wan and the Hong Kong China Ferry Terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui.
Many needing to reach downtown Hong Kong consider the ferry more convenient than the shuttle bus because a ferry trip would take about an hour while the shuttle bus service could take longer when the road became congested.
Nearly three years ago, at midnight on February 4, 2020, ferry services between Macau and Hong Kong downtown were suspended. The announcement had been made the day before at a press conference held by then Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam and had come as a surprise to many people.
Days later, at a Macau press conference, Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng was asked if the government had been notified in advance by its Hong Kong counterpart. The head of the government said “the [Hong Kong government] did not need to notify us in advance, in the same way that we do not have to provide advance notice when we close casinos in Macau.”
The service suspension was part of Hong Kong’s move to control the spread of Covid-19.
In response to an enquiry from the Times, the Hong Kong government’s Transport and Logistics Bureau, speaking through the Hong Kong Information Services Department, pledged that “the Co-ordination Group on Resumption of Normal Travel is working full steam ahead to develop a sound plan to achieve a progressive, orderly and comprehensive resumption of passenger clearance.”
Despite providing no definite date, the bureau said “the government is closely liaising with the cross-boundary ferry trade in preparation and is pleased to note that the trade also aspires to resume operations as soon as possible.”
The bureau said that “some of the boundary control points that have been closed for a long time will resume operation.”
TurboJET, an operator of the service, echoed the bureau’s comment and told the Times the company was awaiting government approval saying it was fully prepared to resume services.
Another operator, Cotai Water Jet, asked about the matter, had not replied by press time.
