Macau-Zhongshan FYT Scheme postponed to September

By
Kam Leong

The ‘Free Yacht Travel Scheme’ between the city and Zhongshan in Guangdong may only start its pilot run at the end of September, a two-month delay of its originally anticipated implementation in July this year, according to Chinese news outlet Guangzhou Daily.
The newspaper cited the Zhongshan Foreign and Overseas Chinese Affairs Bureau as saying on Tuesday that the first-phase construction of the Border area for the yachting scheme had been 95 per cent completed, while the joint Customs control building has already been finished.
Moreover, the two governments have already determined an initial route for yachts sailing between the two cities, expecting the pilot run for the scheme can start by the end of September, the news outlet said.
In response to Business Daily enquiries, the city’s Marine and Water Bureau said the exact implementation date for the scheme has not yet been confirmed. Nevertheless, it confirmed that the end of September is the latest target for opening the free yachting service.
According to the official website of Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO), the yachting scheme for the two cities was initially expected to be implemented by July this year.
The Marine Bureau explained to Business Daily that the two-month delay is due to the two governments still having to confirm the issue of Customs inspection for the scheme.
In fact, the local government announced several measures for the scheme in recent months which were expected to be effective mid-year.
At the end of May, Marine Bureau director Susana Wong Soi Man said the government expected 50 provisional berths on the waterway in front of the Concordia Industrial Park in Colane could be ready for the yachting scheme by the middle of the year.
At the beginning of June, the government, meanwhile, announced in an Official Gazette that a 24-hour border checkpoint at Coloane Pier would be established, with the service starting June 30 for people entering or leaving the Special Administrative Region by yacht.
Currently, the city has a total of 79 berths, with 57 off Lam Mau Pier on the Macau Peninsula managed by Macau Yacht Club and 22 others at Macau Fisherman’s Wharf.