5 Guangdong-registered yachts to sail into Hong Kong as southbound scheme launches

Five Guangdong-registered yachts will sail into Hong Kong waters on Friday when the Southbound Yacht Travel Scheme launches, the city’s marine chief has said, adding that officers will step up patrols.

A ceremony marking the scheme’s maiden voyages will also take place. The launch is a key step in the government’s plan to develop Hong Kong’s yacht economy, as outlined in the city’s first five-year plan and the latest policy address.

Under the scheme, mainland Chinese vessels can register through the Marine Department’s Electronic Business System to navigate Hong Kong waters.

“We treat everyone equally, whether they are local yachts or visiting ones, and we will take enforcement action if we discover any breaches of law,” Director of Marine Wong Sai-fat told a radio programme on Thursday.

“Our dynamic system will monitor the navigational safety of yachts and their activities. Therefore, [the scheme] will not negatively affect navigational safety, use of waters or marine ecology.”

Wong said 23 individuals or groups had registered through the system as of this week, with five yachts scheduled to enter Hong Kong waters on Friday.

About 300 mainland yacht masters had qualified to navigate local waters, he added. Authorities have introduced certification, training and examination arrangements for those seeking to do so.

Besides berthing at yacht clubs, visiting vessels can use five designated berthing areas at Tai O, Repulse Bay, Tai Tam Bay, Stanley Bay and Three Fathoms Cove in Sai Kung.

Wong said the five areas would offer 115 berths, enough to meet demand from mainland vessels, and authorities would therefore not impose a quota on southbound yachts.

Authorities previously said they would monitor and manage traffic at the berthing areas through a dynamic, real-time system.

Wong said officers would step up patrols and could impose fixed penalties for minor breaches such as littering, while prosecuting more serious offences.

He added that if a yacht left Hong Kong after an offence had been committed, the department would refer the case to mainland authorities to follow-up.

Asked about the Tai O berthing area’s proximity to Chinese white dolphin habitat, Wong dismissed green groups’ concerns that the scheme could harm marine ecology, saying the government had assessed vessel traffic before designating the areas.

“Across the five berth areas, there were a total of 10,000 vessel activities during the first five months of this year, and more than 6,000 took place in Tai O,” he said. “That means there has already been plenty of vessel activity in the area.”

Wong added that the five areas did not provide water or electricity, but mainland yachts could obtain supplies from designated water-selling kiosks, bunkering points and marine service providers under the same arrangements as local vessels.

The initiative aims to use the city’s extensive coastline and islands to attract more high-spending maritime tourists by easing regulations and introducing new technology.

Beijing also approved the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Individual Yacht Scheme in June, allowing Hong Kong yacht owners to sail to designated ports as part of a broader strategy to develop the “yacht economy” in the Greater Bay Area.