Bay watch with first approval for 5 mainland yachts
Five yachts from the Greater Bay Area have received approval to enter Hong Kong waters as a new scheme facilitating such cross-border visits takes effect on Friday, according to Director of Marine Wong Sai-fat. The scheme allows yacht masters across the border to sit for accreditation exams up north without needing to travel to Hong Kong and authorises mainland organisations to conduct the…
Five yachts from the Greater Bay Area received the green light to enter Hong Kong waters on Friday, as per Director of Marine Wong Sai-fat. This new scheme enables yacht masters from mainland China to take accreditation exams in Hong Kong without having to travel to the city. Organisations in mainland China are also authorized to conduct assessments for these yachts.
Visitors can now submit pre-arrival vetting details online, eliminating the requirement for a visit to a district marine office. Yachts can now freely dock at five designated anchorage areas: Stanley, Tai Tam and Repulse bays, Three Fathoms Cove in Sai Kung, and Tai O. Director Wong assured there was no need for a daily yacht visit quota, stating that the five anchorage areas can accommodate up to 115 yachts measuring 40 metres in length.
Around 300 mainland yacht masters have already completed the training and passed the accreditation to operate in Hong Kong waters. To maintain safety, the department has established a monitoring system to track the vessels, which will alert yachts if their automatic identification system malfunctions or if they enter restricted waters.
Additionally, patrols and enforcement actions will be intensified in the designated anchorages for visiting yachts.
Written by urgent.news from RTHK English's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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