First time in 60 years that no hydrofoils are operating between Macau and HK, group claims

The Jetfoil Conservation Concern Group has said that for the first time in the last 60 years, there is no type of hydrofoil ferry operating between Macau and Hong Kong. The group made the announcement in a post on their official pages on social media.

According to the same source, the Foilcats “Penha” and “Barca,” the only two of this kind of vessel operating the ferry route since the pandemic, have both ceased operations and been returned to their shipyard.

The group that eagerly follows matters related to the preservation and operation of the historical vessels noted that Penha has been “out of service for some time already while Barca went out of service last month, the possibility of [the vessels] return [operation resumption] is unknown.”

The group noted that “Aside from the pandemic (and the early days of resumption), this is the first time since the introduction of [the ship] “Coloane” by Shun Tak in 1964 that there are no hydrofoils of any kind servicing the Hong Kong – Macau route.”

The group that has been consistently calling for the return of the Jetfoils to operations as well as for the historic preservation of the vessels, has said on several occasions in the past that economic interests from the Shun Tak-owned TurboJet company are the grounds of the discontinuance of the use of these type of ferries, that have been considered to be both safer and more comfortable.

In November last year the group said, citing information from the company, that at least one of the vessels, “Terceira,” was almost ready to restart operations, which as yet has not happened.

In early September last year, TurboJet stated on the company’s official Facebook page that Jetfoils could not resume operation due to aspects related to the construction of the fourth bridge between Macau and Taipa, noting it was unsafe to operate this vessel type during this phase.

According to the latest records, the company still possesses five Boeing 929 model Jetfoils including “Terceira,” “Funchal,” “Horta,” “Cacilhas” and “Taipa.”

The NB 1624 “Barca and NB 1625 “Penha” are 35-meter FoilCats that were respectively the first and second vessels of the Ultra-High-Speed FoilCat design, with the patented Fjellstrand foil system.

Built back in 1995, the vessels can accommodate a maximum of 407 passengers and are propelled by gas turbines and water jets. The FoilCat is also equipped with a fully submerged foil system, active flap control, and an automatic flight control system developed by Kvaerner Fjellstrand A.S.