Marine and Water Bureau (DSAMA) Director Susana Wong Soi Man said Thursday that the bureau expects to take over some areas of the long-delayed Pac On ferry terminal in Taipa in the middle of this year and aims to have it finally operational within the year.
A temporary ferry terminal is currently being used while the permanent one is being constructed.
The plan for a proper ferry terminal in Taipa dates back to 2005 and the cost to build it has since grown five-fold to 3.284 billion patacas, according to previous reports.
Wong spoke to reporters prior to a Chinese New Year lunch for senior representatives of the local media at the Grand Hyatt Macau in Cotai.
According to Wong, the Infrastructure Development Office (GDI), which handles the Pac On ferry terminal project, is looking to hand over parts of the facility to the DSAMA in the middle of the year.
“Besides berths, the ferry terminal also needs other facilities before it can be operational,” Wong said, “Hopefully we can get the whole ferry terminal operating by the end of the year.”
According to the Macau Post Daily Wong also said that the bureau would decide by how much the water tariff will be increased within the first half of this year, pointing out that while the water tariff for residential homes may remain unchanged, the tariff would rise at least 10.6 percent for corporate user. Wong said that it was not decided yet when the tariff hike would be implemented.(macaunews)
