Hong Kong’s Transport Department reported that ferry piers at Central and outlying islands remained orderly on the morning of 2 July despite temporary service reductions introduced to facilitate a marine-safety exercise in Victoria Harbour. From 07:00 to 09:30 several inner-harbour and inter-island sailings were suspended while navigation lanes were realigned, prompting the government to activate contingency plans that included free park-and-ride shuttle buses from Discovery Bay to Central. Field officers observed commuters heeding advance advisories to depart earlier, preventing long queues at the piers. Ferry operators Sun Ferry and Hong Kong & Kowloon Ferry restored full timetables shortly after 09:30 once the drill concluded. Cross-harbour vehicular traffic was unaffected, but three inner-harbour routes briefly ran at 20-minute intervals instead of the usual 8 minutes. The exercise, held annually two weeks after the 1 July public holiday, tests coordination between the Marine Department, Transport Department and ferry companies, mirroring contingencies used during typhoons or security lockdowns. For organisations with staff living on Lantau, Cheung Chau or Lamma Islands, the results provide reassurance that alternative land transport links—including franchised B3P and DB02R buses—can absorb displaced ferry passengers if future disruptions occur. Employers should nevertheless review flexible-working policies: only 48-hour notice is guaranteed under existing ferry franchise agreements, and short-notice drills are expected to continue as Hong Kong gears up for the 2027 East Asian Games sailing events.
Source: Hong Kong Commercial Daily
