Part of the Lai Chi Vun Shipyards will be closed to the public until the end of the year due to renovation works, Jornal Tribuna de Macau reports. However, the Cultural Affairs Bureau (known by its Portuguese initials IC) has apparently dashed hopes that an ice rink was being added to the Coloane complex.
IC president Leong Wai Man noted that current plans for the shipyards do not include a simulated ice rink – an idea the bureau floated late last year.
Rather, the shipyards are getting some permanent eateries (an upgrade on its current food truck), more family-friendly leisure facilities and new displays documenting Macao’s historical shipbuilding and fishing industries.
[See more: Macao has listed six new cultural heritage sites]
Refurbishment work on lots X11 to X15 commenced on 1 July and should be ready to re-open for the festive season in December, Leong said.
Further renovations have been scheduled for 2026, when the shipyards are set to receive skate and scooter parks, cafes, bookstores and an urban garden. That phase was expected to be finished in the third quarter of 2026.
Built back in the 1950s as part of Macao’s then-thriving shipbuilding industry, the Lai Chi Vun Shipyards were listed as a cultural heritage site in 2018. By then, they were in a tumble-down state, abandoned after the demise of shipbuilding in the city. The yards have since been partly refurbished as leisure facilities with funding from Galaxy Entertainment Group.
