Skip to content
Menu
Menu

First ferry between Macao’s Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal and Hong Kong’s Sheung Wan berthed yesterday morning

Route resumes with 11 round trips; TurboJET to operate more vessels, but no late-night services yet. Tourism chief hopes ferries will boost daily Hong Kong visitors to 10,000.

ARTICLE BY

PUBLISHED

Route resumes with 11 round trips; TurboJET to operate more vessels, but no late-night services yet. Tourism chief hopes ferries will boost daily Hong Kong visitors to 10,000.

ARTICLE BY

PUBLISHED

UPDATED: 22 Dec 2023, 12:32 am

The first ferry in three years from Hong Kong’s Sheung Wan berthed at Macao’s Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal around 9 am yesterday, marking the resumption of ferry services between the two terminals that were suspended in February 2020. 

Ferry operator TurboJET said advance ticket sales have been satisfactory, especially over the Chinese New Year holidays and the company is now waiting until the holiday is over before deciding whether or not to increase service frequency, including night sailings, with more preparation needed before more services can return.

TurboJET currently operates 11 round trips between the Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal and the Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Terminal, located at Shun Tak Centre, in Sheung Wan. 

As for late-night sailing, the ferry operator will only resume services at a later stage, said Alfred Ng, director of Macao Services Division of Shun Tak China Travel Ship Management, which operates TurboJET. 

“For late-night sailing, the safety requirements on the ferries are stricter. For example, there has to be one crew member dedicated to night-time lookout to assist with the sailing,” he explained. 

Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal
This screenshot image from TDM’s report shows passengers waiting to board their ferry at the Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal

TurboJET also promised more vessels will be put back in operation pending inspections by the maritime authorities. 

Macao Government Tourism Office Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes said Macao’s recent ferry resumptions, combined with the office’s buy-one-get-one-free ticket promotion, are expected to help increase the number of visitors from Hong Kong from a daily average of over 7,000 tourists to about 10,000 visitors

She added: “But of course this is only half of the pre-pandemic [figures]. Let’s be patient,” and not expect everything in Macao to return to the pre-pandemic level, TDM reported. 

 

UPDATED: 22 Dec 2023, 12:32 am

Send this to a friend