Hong Kong-registered yachts can berth more easily in designated mainland Chinese ports in the Greater Bay Area, as Beijing has waived customs guarantees and simplified administrative procedures, paving the way for more seamless leisure vessel travel within the region.
In a directive published on Saturday night, the State Council revamped its maritime policies, allowing Hong Kong and Macau leisure yachts to enter designated mainland ports “exempt from customs guarantees” and benefit from “a temporary vessel nationality registration policy” with immediate effect.
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 yachts remain within the jurisdiction of those cities.
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However, the directive did not stipulate the specific locations of the ports.
The breakthrough paved the way for more seamless yacht travel within the bay area and was seen as a milestone towards easier southbound travel by mainland vessels amid the Hong Kong government’s efforts to develop a yacht economy.
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The policy came after the Guangdong Maritime Safety Administration proposed in April last year a dual-registration management model that could allow Hong Kong or Macau yachts to obtain a mainland temporary vessel nationality certificate without cancelling their existing registration.