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 assessments. Visiting yacht owners and masters can submit pre-arrival vetting information online, doing away with the need to do so with a visit to a district marine office. Visiting yachts can berth freely at five designated anchorage areas: Stanley, Tai Tam and Repulse bays as well as Three Fathoms Cove in Sai Kung and Tai O. Speaking on an RTHK radio programme on Thursday, Wong stressed that there was currently no need to cap daily yacht visits from the mainland. “Across the five anchorage areas, we can accommodate up to 115 yachts measuring 40 metres in length," he said. "So we believe we have sufficient berthing space for yachts to dock smoothly where they want. That’s why we really don't see any need for a quota for now.” Wong noted that around 300 mainland yacht masters had completed the training and passed accreditation to operate in Hong Kong waters so far. To ensure safety, he said, the department has set up a monitoring system to track the yachts. The system will alert vessels if their automatic identification system malfunctions or if they accidentally enter restricted waters. Wong added that patrols and enforcement action would also be strengthened in the designated anchorages for visiting yachts. Edited by Aaron Tam

2026-10-15 11:38:00