Raymond Tam admits closing Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal

The Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Raymond Tam, has once again admitted that the closure of the Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal and the relocation of all maritime activities to Taipa is a possibility.

Tam’s acknowledgment came during the debate on the policy address for his sector at the Legislative Assembly on Monday evening.

While addressing several changes his Secretariat is planning in the transport sector, the Secretary said that maritime passenger transport has been declining, and it is time to re-evaluate the need for two ferry terminals.

“We have an open attitude. Let’s be realistic in assessing the operation of the two maritime terminals and consider future demand to determine whether it is still necessary to maintain the Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal, or if it would be better to transfer it to Taipa as well,” Tam said.

An idea postponed but not abandoned

The idea of closing the Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal is not new and has been aired on several occasions. Still, when this idea was first hinted at during the government of Chui Sai On, it drew significant opposition from society.

Still, several people and groups familiar with the matter have claimed over time that the idea of closing the terminal was not abandoned but just postponed.
Two years ago, rumors surfaced that the government was once again preparing to close the facility.

At the time, in response to the Times, the Marine and Water Bureau (DSAMA) refuted the idea, stating that the Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal would continue to operate normally and that service interruptions were only temporary – first due to the construction of the Macau Bridge and later due to the construction of an overpass that will connect Zone A of the new landfills to Zone B of the same urban area.

Among those expressing the most concern was the Jetfoil Conservation Concern Group (JCCG), which, in an interview with the Times, suggested that a potential total closure of the Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal could be imminent.

Citing sources familiar with the terminal’s operations, the JCCG said that a study examined the possibility of the terminal halting operations and becoming exclusively for the use of DSAMA (and the) Customs Service and small tourism vessels in support of maritime tourism, thereby abandoning its primary function.

Regarding these alleged rumors, DSAMA also refuted them and stated that passenger ferries will continue to operate from this terminal in the future.

The operation of the Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal is currently concessioned to the Sociedade de Turismo e Diversões de Macau under a contract due to expire next year.

Harder to justify Outer Harbour without Jetfoils

The JCCG has also told the Times that the main reason the Outer Harbour did not close after the opening of the Pac On Ferry Terminal was that, on the Taipa side, there was not enough depth to allow the safe operation of the Jetfoils.

As the Times reported two weeks ago, the only one of these types of vessels resuming activity after the pandemic, the Terceira, completed its final sailing on November 18, with the JCCG claiming that it was likely that this would be the last commercially operated jetfoil sailing between Macau and Hong Kong.

As the same group later reported, the Terceira has been parked at the Hong Kong shipyard, where four other vessels of the same kind (Cacilhas, Horta, Madeira, and Flores) are also parked.

Additionally, the group noted that operator Turbojet has said that the two foilcats (Penha and Barca) are also not in service at the moment.
With the potential permanent retirement of the jetfoils, the operational need for the Outer Harbour becomes obsolete.

A series of concerning hints

Questioned by the Times on the matter, the JCCG said that, while they believe an Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal closure will occur in a phased manner rather than suddenly, a series of concerning hints have been circulating.

“Our concern is that the new plan for the light rail [Light Rapid Transit – South line] is to cancel the Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal station,” a group leader told the Times, explaining that the fact that the terminal has been “put aside” from the long-term development plans indicates that there is no intention to keep the facility.

This information comes at a time when the government is conducting a study on the route for the LRT South line, for which the final results are not yet known.

In the previously known draft, the South line would link the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge checkpoint to the eastern and southern parts of the Peninsula, including Barra, the Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal, and the Nam Van and Sai Van districts.

As with the East line, currently under construction, this forecasted expansion of the LRT system will likely be underground due to its path through existing urban areas.

Back in July, Tam said that once the feasibility study is complete, the government would hold a public consultation to gather public opinion on the matter.

As for a potential timeline for the terminal’s abandonment, the same group leader believes “it might take some five to ten years more,” with these changes potentially taking place after the expansion of the LRT lines and the improved links between Pac On and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (HZMB), as well as between the HZMB and the Peninsula.