Macau, China, 15 Sept – Macao Dragon Company Limited, which operates ferry services between Hong Kong and Macau, announced Wednesday that it has filed for bankruptcy in Hong Kong and is ceasing operations today, The Macau Post Daily reports.
According to a statement from the company, it is no longer able to run its service due to the cap on the number of passengers per sailing put on it by the Macau government that shrunk the ferry company’s passenger capacity from 1,152 to 750 on each sailing from Hong Kong to Macau, and 600 from Macau to Hong Kong.
However, Macao Dragon’s 65-metre “supersize” catamaran has a passenger capacity of 1,200.
Macao Dragon started its Hong Kong-Macau service in July 2010.
The company was the only one of the four ferry operators that had not been issued a permit to operate night sailings.
“At that time, the Macau government promised to withdraw the cap, but it has not kept its promise (…) Under the circumstances, we can no longer continue operating the service,” the company said in the statement, adding that it “deeply regretted” ending its service, and apologised for any inconvenience caused.
A statement from the Maritime Administration said that Macao Dragon had not officially informed the local authorities about its bankruptcy, adding that the cap on passenger capacity was a decision made based on the safety of the passengers and the capacity of the ferry terminal in Taipa.(MacauNews/Tourism)
