The Jetfoil Conservation Concern Group said that it believes that TurboJet has arranged the scrapping of recently retired Jetfoils at Wang Tak Engineering & Shipbuilding Company. They have urged TurboJet to preserve the historically important vessels.
In a statement, the group said that vessels “Santa Maria” and “Urzela” were demolished while “Guia” was moved to Wang Tak on Thursday.
“As her name and logo were printed in black, we believe her scrapping will start soon,” the concerned group said.
The group’s allegation regarding “Guia” is that the vessel was moved to Wang Tak, and as such they assume that the vessel may follow in the footsteps of “Urzela” and “Santa Maria” within days.
“Guia” was launched in 1976 and sold to Sado Kisen in Japan as “Okesa.” In 1991, it was acquired by Far East Hydrofoil. In June 13 1995, the vessel travelled from Macau to Hong Kong, carrying the cash of a Macau bank under the guard of a safeguard company. 20 minutes after “Guia” departed, three robbers dressed as passengers appeared. The robbers stole three bags of cash worth HKD10 million and boarded a speedboat near Qi’ao Island.
In 1996, a movie named “The Great Jetfoil Robbery” was made based on the incident. “Guia” retired in July 2018 and was stored in Tsing Yi with “Urzela” and “Pico” until the end of March 2021.
According to the group, it is also believed that the vessel “Pico,” which was launched in 1975, is bound to be scrapped soon. “Pico” serviced Hong Kong and Macau since 1978 until February 2018 and was stored in Tsing Yi until March 2021. Currently the name at the back and logo were painted black, the group mentioned.
The group is calling on the Jetfoil company to preserve historically important vessels such as “Madeira,” as well as parts of the demolished vessels for public display.
Since the launch of “Madeira” in April 1975, the Jetfoil fleet has successfully operated on the Hong Kong – Macau line for over 45 years, “setting an almost unbreakable record of longevity in this line for a single model.”
“We have learned from our followers that some of them wish they could keep important parts from vessels that are going to scrap. These parts include: the name plates, steering wheels, etc. We understand that vessels take up space in the shipyards and it is unreasonable to ask for [the] preservation of all in such difficult times,” the group said.
“We believe it would be a welcome move if the public can play a part in the preservation of parts of the legendary fleet,” it added.
The group reiterated that the Jetfoils’ service has supported the significant growth of Macau’s economy for decades, noting that, in their 90s heyday , there were 16 Jetfoils travelling between the cities.
Before the terminals were shut down in 2020, only six Jetfoils remained active, the group said.
The ferry terminals in Hong Kong were forced to close in February 2020 due to the pandemic.
“In addition, the Hong Kong – Macau line has also been undermined over the last two years due to the opening of [the] bridge,” the group remarked.
Last October, netizens noticed that the world’s first Jetfoil, “Flores,” was about to be demolished following the PS-30 “Balsa,” raising discussions about the conservation of Jetfoils.
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