A ceremony for the maiden voyage of southbound yachts from Guangdong was held today, marking the scheme's official implementation.

Attending the cereomony were Acting Financial Secretary Michael Wong, Secretary for Transport & Logistics Mable Chan, Director of Marine Wong Sai-fat, and Director-General of the Economic Affairs Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Xu Weigang.

In a speech, Michael Wong stressed that Hong Kong is developing into a regional yachting hub. He remarked that the global yacht market has continued to grow in recent years, with the luxury yacht market in particular experiencing significant expansion.

He added that the market value of the superyacht industry is projected to reach approximately $350 billion by 2032, and that Hong Kong has the capability to secure a share of this market.

Outlining that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government is implementing various measures to promote the yacht economy, he also mentioned that The Festival of Connoisseurs, an international exhibition focusing on superyachts and premium lifestyles, will be held in the city in early November.

He stated that the Government is fully committed to promoting the construction of four new yacht clubs at the airport, Lamma Island, Aberdeen, and Hung Hom. These projects will provide more than 1,100 berths and four highly attractive new clubhouse facilities, significantly enhancing Hong Kong's yachting infrastructure and ecosystem.

Following the launch of northbound travel for Hong Kong yachts in June, and the signing of work arrangements between Guangdong and Hong Kong in September to establish an institutionalised mechanism for cross-boundary individual yacht travel, southbound travel from Guangdong is the latest building block to be put in place by the two governments. It allows yacht owners in Guangdong to handle cross-boundary procedures more conveniently, thereby promoting greater connectivity in cross-boundary navigation networks and the marine leisure industry.

Under the framework for southbound travel, all Guangdong-registered yachts that have an offshore navigation range of up to 20 nautical miles and a wave resistance capability of not less than 2 metres can apply to visit Hong Kong. Yacht owners and masters intending to travel southbound can complete procedures online, in advance, provided that they have undertaken Chinese Mainland departure inspection formalities at any of six designated control points.

The facilitation measures launched by the Marine Department in June also apply to overseas yachts. These include enhancing the Electronic Business System to allow one-stop online completion of arrival and port formalities; setting up designated anchorage areas and relaxing the requirements for booking yacht club berths prior to arrival in Hong Kong; and authorising Mainland China institutions to conduct the Hong Kong Waters Local Knowledge Examination and provide training for yacht masters before arrival.

Owners and masters of visiting yachts can apply through the Electronic Business System for "Permission to Navigate in Hong Kong Waters", and book an anchoring location, as early as 30 days before arrival.

The Marine Department has authorised two Mainland examination centres to conduct the Hong Kong Waters Local Knowledge Examination and approved seven Mainland training institutions to offer recognised training courses. The department has received an enthusiastic response, with nearly 300 people already obtaining the relevant qualification.

The department will also recognise online short-term training courses organised by local professional training and examination institutions to allow visiting yacht masters to obtain the qualification to navigate in Hong Kong waters while overseas.