Hong Kong ferry services to several outlying islands and across Victoria Harbour will be temporarily adjusted on the morning of July 6 as authorities implement special maritime traffic arrangements. The city’s Transport Department said services on five outlying island routes and nine inner-harbour routes may be disrupted between about 10:00 a.m. and 10:45 a.m., and urged passengers, particularly island residents, to plan journeys in advance and allow extra travel time.

The changes coincide with the scheduled end of a Hong Kong port call by a PLA Navy task group comprising the guided-missile destroyer Nanning and guided-missile frigate Hengyang. During the affected period, specific sailings on the Central–Cheung Chau, Central–Mui Wo, Central–Peng Chau, Ma Wan–Central and Central–Discovery Bay routes will be delayed, brought forward or canceled. For example, the 10:45 a.m. Central–Cheung Chau departure will leave at 11:00 a.m., while Central–Mui Wo sailings at 10:00 a.m. from Mui Wo and 10:30 a.m. from Central will shift to 10:20 a.m. and 10:50 a.m., respectively. The 10:45 a.m. Central–Peng Chau sailing will instead depart at 10:30 a.m.

Services between Ma Wan and Central will see both the 10:00 a.m. departure from Ma Wan and the 10:30 a.m. departure from Central canceled. On the Central–Discovery Bay route, the 10:10 a.m. sailing from Discovery Bay and the 10:40 a.m. sailing from Central will also be canceled. Within Victoria Harbour, nine routes — Wan Chai–Tsim Sha Tsui, Central–Tsim Sha Tsui, North Point–Hung Hom, North Point–Kowloon City, Central–Hung Hom, North Point–Kwun Tong, water taxis, Sai Wan Ho–Kwun Tong and Sai Wan Ho–Sam Ka Tsuen — may be subject to temporary changes of up to about 30 minutes depending on conditions.

To mitigate the impact, operators will strengthen bus services serving Mui Wo, Discovery Bay and Ma Wan during the disruption window. New Lantao Bus route 3M between Mui Wo Ferry Pier and Tung Chung Station will run more frequently, while Discovery Bay’s DB03R route to Sunny Bay Station will also be enhanced. Additional special services on Ma Wan resident bus route NR338S, running in a loop between Ma Wan (Tung Wan Bus Terminus) and Central Pier No. 2, will be provided. Authorities will further introduce a free shuttle bus from outside the Discovery Bay Fire Station to Central Pier No. 3. The Transport Department’s Emergency Transport Co-ordination Centre will operate around the clock to monitor maritime traffic and public transport, aiming to restore normal ferry services as soon as practicable and strengthen capacity where necessary to ease passenger congestion.