The Marine and Water Bureau (DSAMA) said Wednesday that the government will spend about 80 million patacas on improving the facilities of the Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal and extending the area, with the aim of providing local residents and visitors a better environment
Ip Wa Hong, who heads the bureau’s Harbour Management Department, made the remarks to reporters on the sidelines of a event which the bureau and the Lands, Pubic Work and Transport Bureau (DSSOPT) organised for the media to explain details of the project which will start on Monday.
According to information provided by the DSAMA, the project consists of five phases, which will take about a year to complete.
The project will include two extensions which will give the terminal an extra of 1,000 square metres. Currently the terminal covers about 65,000 square metres.
The project will also include the setting-up of a luggage conveyor belt system. On completion, the number of ticket counters will have increased from the current 26 to 34.
According to Ip, the terminal receives about 15 million passengers on average per year.
“After the remodelling there will be a better environment for residents and visitors… I hope it will attract more visitors once the expansion has been completed,” Ip was quoted by The Macau Post Daily as saying, adding that the Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal and the future Pac On Terminal would have different function. While the former would fulfil the needs of the Macau peninsula the latter was aimed at Cotai and Hengqin.
Ip also said that at the end of the year the bureau would start taking over the Pac On Terminal Ferry which is still under construction.
He added that it may take about six to nine months to test the operation in the Pac On Terminal Ferry.
“We expect it will be open to the public next July… there will be about 11 berths available initially,” Ip added.
The Pac On Terminal Ferry will comprise 19 berths – 16 for 400-passenger ferries and three for 1,200-passenger ferries.(macaunews)
