Beijing to release Hong Kong yacht policy with mainland port details next month
State Council revamps maritime policies, exempting Hong Kong and Macau yachts from customs guarantees and simplifying registration in Greater Bay Area
Implementation details of a policy to allow Hong Kong-registered yachts to berth more easily at designated mainland Chinese ports in the Greater Bay Area will be unveiled by Beijing in “mid-June” at the earliest, sources have said, with the anticipated move already drawing interest from local charter companies keen to tailor tours for affluent clients.
The South China Morning Post also learned on Saturday that the Port of Nansha is among the designated maritime facilities – and the only one in Guangzhou – although specific locations have yet to be disclosed in the latest directive, as prestigious yacht clubs prepare to organise cross-border fleets.
This applies to yachts temporarily entering and leaving through designated ports in nine mainland cities – Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Huizhou, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Jiangmen and Zhaoqing – provided the vessels remain within the jurisdiction of those cities.
The bay area is an ambitious scheme launched by Beijing in 2019 to link nine mainland cities with Hong Kong and Macau into an integrated economic powerhouse.
The Transport and Logistics Bureau said the new policies would enable individual yacht travel within the area, as they significantly reduced the financial burden on Hong Kong and Macau yacht owners and allowed them to obtain temporary certificates without affecting their original vessel registration.