Macau | Post-typhoon debris causing several ferry delays

Macau (MNA) – Ferry travel operator TurboJet told Macau News Agency (MNA) that debris produced by the passage of Typhoon Mangkhut has caused several ferry routes to suffer delays.

“In the aftermath of Super Typhoon Mangkhut, the sea was awash with debris, big and small […]. Due to the intensity of the typhoon, we have an unusual record of over 30 incidents of debris blockage affecting journey time for all sailing routes in the past two days since the service resumed,” a Turbojet representative told MNA.

Some of the delays involved the Macau route to and from Hong Kong International Airport, and since those connections generally involve connections with airline flights Turbojet indicated it has tried to make arrangements so passengers could get to the airport by other means.

The company has daily ferry links to the Hong Kong International Airport departing from Macau at 07:15 am, 09:30 am, 11:30 am, 3:15 pm, 7:45 pm.

As an example the company mentioned that on September 19 ferry number MKI sailed from Macau to Hong Kong International Airport at the scheduled departure time of 3:15 pm, but experienced debris blockages in the vessel’s water intake twice.

Since the blockage would prevent the vessel from operating at normal speed and it would take time for the crew to clear the debris the vessel had to return to Macau Ferry Terminal for vessel transfer in the interests of time.

“Our terminal staff made immediate vessel transfer arrangements for the passengers to board MK 2003 [another ferry] which was redeployed for departure to Hong Kong Airport, while our staff at SkyPier alerted respective airlines of the delay and upon arrival passengers in need were accompanied to proceed to the airline counter for boarding procedure,” said the company.

The company also noted that two passengers with a tight connection time were able to take a ferry to Sheung Wan in Hong Kong instead, were provided with ground transportation assistance to Hong Kong Airport, and were able to catch their flight.

“In the meantime, the Marine and Water Bureau [DSAMA] has been gearing up efforts clearing up the sea debris after the typhoon,” TurboJet indicated.

Ferry operator Cotai Water Jet also operates a ferry route between the Taipa Ferry Terminal and Hong Kong International Airport. MNA contacted the company concerning any issues caused by sea debris but no response had been provided by the time this article was published.