Victoria Harbour
Encyclopedia
Hong Kong Island
Hong Kong Island is an island in the southern part of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. It has a population of 1,289,500 and its population density is 16,390/km², as of 2008...
and the Kowloon Peninsula
Kowloon Peninsula
The Kowloon Peninsula is a peninsula that forms the southern part of the main landmass in the territory of Hong Kong. The Kowloon Peninsula and the area of New Kowloon are collectively known as Kowloon....
in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. The harbour's deep, sheltered waters and strategic location on the South China Sea
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
were instrumental in Hong Kong's establishment as a British colony and its subsequent development as a trading centre.
Throughout its history, the harbour has seen numerous reclamation
Land reclamation in Hong Kong
Land is in short supply in Hong Kong, and land reclamation has been conducted there since the mid-19th century.-Projects:One of the earliest and famous project was the Praya Reclamation Scheme, which added 50 to of land in 1890 during the second phase of construction...
projects undertaken on both shores, many of which have caused controversy in recent years due to environmental concerns concerning water quality and natural habitats in addition to economic concerns that benefits of land reclamation may be less than the effects of decreased harbour width, affecting the number of vessels passing through the harbour. Nonetheless it still retains its founding role as a port for thousands of international vessels each year.
Long famous for its spectacular views, the harbour is a major tourist attraction of Hong Kong. Lying in the middle of the territory's dense urban region, the harbour is the site of annual fireworks displays and its promenades are popular gathering places for tourists and residents.
History
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
and water polo
Water polo
Water polo is a team water sport. The playing team consists of six field players and one goalkeeper. The winner of the game is the team that scores more goals. Game play involves swimming, treading water , players passing the ball while being defended by opponents, and scoring by throwing into a...
in 1850s within the members of Hong Kong's first sports club, the Victoria Recreation Club.
During the Taiping Rebellion
Taiping Rebellion
The Taiping Rebellion was a widespread civil war in southern China from 1850 to 1864, led by heterodox Christian convert Hong Xiuquan, who, having received visions, maintained that he was the younger brother of Jesus Christ, against the ruling Manchu-led Qing Dynasty...
, armed rebels paraded the streets of Hong Kong. On December 21, 1854, the Hong Kong police arrested several armed rebels who were about to attack Kowloon City
Kowloon City
Kowloon City is an area in Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is named after the Kowloon Walled City, and is administratively part of Kowloon City District....
. On January 23, 1855, a fleet of Taiping war boats
Junk (ship)
A junk is an ancient Chinese sailing vessel design still in use today. Junks were developed during the Han Dynasty and were used as sea-going vessels as early as the 2nd century AD. They evolved in the later dynasties, and were used throughout Asia for extensive ocean voyages...
was on the verge of a naval battle against Chinese imperial war boats defending the harbour. The Chinese defenders were ordered away by the British colonial authorities. These incidents caused rising tension that would eventually lead to the Arrow War. The harbour was originally called "Hong Kong Harbour", but was later renamed as "Victoria Harbour", to assure shelter for the British fleet under Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
.
The subject of pollution arrived in the 1970s with rapid growth in the manufacturing sector. The water club races were stopped in 1973 due to pollution in the harbour, a year after the RMS Queen Elizabeth
RMS Queen Elizabeth
RMS Queen Elizabeth was an ocean liner operated by the Cunard Line. Plying with her running mate Queen Mary as a luxury liner between Southampton, UK and New York City, USA via Cherbourg, France, she was also contracted for over twenty years to carry the Royal Mail as the second half of the two...
burned and capsized there. Other studies were done to show excessive nitrogen
Nitrogen
Nitrogen is a chemical element that has the symbol N, atomic number of 7 and atomic mass 14.00674 u. Elemental nitrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, and mostly inert diatomic gas at standard conditions, constituting 78.08% by volume of Earth's atmosphere...
input from discharges of the Pearl River Delta
Pearl River Delta
The Pearl River Delta , Zhujiang Delta or Zhusanjiao in Guangdong province, People's Republic of China is the low-lying area surrounding the Pearl River estuary where the Pearl River flows into the South China Sea...
into the harbour for decades.
After completion of the Central and Wan Chai Reclamation
Central and Wan Chai Reclamation
Central and Wan Chai Reclamation is a project launched by the Hong Kong Government since the 1990s to reclaim land for different purposes.-Background:The project was first mentioned in the 1985 planning strategy by the Government...
Feasibility Study in 1989, the Land Development Policy Committee endorsed a concept for gradual implementation of the reclamation. The reclamation consists of three district development cells separated by park
Park
A park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...
s, namely, Central
Central, Hong Kong
Central is the central business district of Hong Kong. It is located in Central and Western District, on the north shore of Hong Kong Island, across Victoria Harbour from Tsim Sha Tsui, the southernmost point of Kowloon Peninsula...
, Tamar
Tamar site
Tamar site , 4.2-hectare large, the former location of the naval basin attached to the headquarters of the British Forces Overseas Hong Kong, is currently the site of the Central Government Offices of the Hong Kong SAR Government at the harbourfront of Central, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong.To the...
and Exhibition
Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre
The Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre is one of the two major convention and exhibition venues in Hong Kong, along with AsiaWorld-Expo. It is located in Wan Chai North, Hong Kong Island. Built along the Victoria Harbour, it is linked by covered walkways to nearby hotels and commercial...
.
The latest proposed reclamation extends along the waterfront from Sheung Wan
Sheung Wan
Sheung Wan is an area in Hong Kong, located in the north-west of Hong Kong Island, between Central and Sai Ying Pun. Administratively, it is part of the Central and Western District...
to Causeway Bay
Causeway Bay
Causeway Bay is a heavily built-up area of Hong Kong, People's Republic of China, located on the Hong Kong Island, and covering parts of Wan Chai and Eastern districts. The Chinese name is also romanized as Tung Lo Wan as in Tung Lo Wan Road...
faced public opposition, as the harbour has become a pivotal location to Hongkongers in general. Activists have denounced the government's actions as destructive not only to the natural environment, but also to what is widely considered as one of the most prized natural assets of the territory. NGOs, including the Society for Protection of the Harbour
Society for Protection of the Harbour
Society for Protection of the Harbour is a Hong-Kong-based organization founded in November, 1995. It is a charitable, non-political and non-profit making green group. The objectives of the organization are to protect the Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong from destruction caused by Government’s...
, were formed to resist further attempts to reduce the size of the waterbody, with its chairman, Christine Loh
Christine Loh
- External links :* ] ]*...
, quoted as saying that the harbour "...is a precious national asset and we must preserve it for future generations. I believe an insightful and visionary Chief Executive would support our stance and work with us to protect the harbour".
Geography
A Kung Ngam
A Kung Ngam is a village and an area in northeast Shau Kei Wan in the north of Hong Kong Island. It contains a fish terminal market and several temples and the Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence.A fire broke out in the early morning of 31 October 2005...
(亞公岩). The western boundary is generally considered to consist of a line drawn from the westernmost point of Hong Kong Island
Hong Kong Island
Hong Kong Island is an island in the southern part of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. It has a population of 1,289,500 and its population density is 16,390/km², as of 2008...
to the westernmost point of Green Island
Green Island, Hong Kong
Green Island is an island off the northwest coast of Kennedy Town on the Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong, separated by the Sulphur Channel. A smaller island nearby to the east, uninhabited, is called Little Green Island...
, thence a straight line drawn from the westernmost point of Green Island to the southeastern-most point of Tsing Yi
Tsing Yi
Tsing Yi , or Tsing Yi Island is an island in the urban area of Hong Kong, to the northwest of Hong Kong Island and south of Tsuen Wan. With an area of 10.69 km², the island has extended drastically by reclamation along almost all its natural shore and the annexation of Nga Ying Chau and Chau...
, thence along the eastern and northern coastal lines of Tsing Yi to its westernmost extremity, and thence a straight line drawn true north towards the mainland.
The following are major islands contained within the harbour
- Green IslandGreen Island, Hong KongGreen Island is an island off the northwest coast of Kennedy Town on the Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong, separated by the Sulphur Channel. A smaller island nearby to the east, uninhabited, is called Little Green Island...
- Little Green IslandGreen Island, Hong KongGreen Island is an island off the northwest coast of Kennedy Town on the Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong, separated by the Sulphur Channel. A smaller island nearby to the east, uninhabited, is called Little Green Island...
- Kowloon RockKowloon RockKowloon Rock is an island in the middle of Kowloon Bay in Hong Kong, near the runway of Kai Tak Airport. Administratively, it is part of Kowloon City District.The island is now sheltered in the To Kwa Wan typhoon shelter by a dyke across the bay....
- Tsing Yi Island
Due to land reclamation, the following are former islands that are now connected to adjacent lands or larger islands:
- Stonecutters IslandStonecutters IslandStonecutters Island or Ngong Shuen Chau is a former island in Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong. Following land reclamation, it is now annexed to the Kowloon peninsula.-Fauna:...
(now connected to Lai Chi Kok BayLai Chi KokLai Chi Kok is a neighborhood in New Kowloon, Hong Kong, east of Kwai Chung and west of Cheung Sha Wan. Mei Foo Sun Chuen is the largest housing estate in the area. Administratively, it belongs to the Sham Shui Po District.-History:...
, New KowloonNew KowloonNew Kowloon is an area in Kowloon, Hong Kong, bounded in the south by Boundary Street, and in the north by the ranges of the Lion Rock, Beacon Hill, Tate's Cairn and Kowloon Peak...
) - Channel RockChannel RockChannel Rock was a big rock in the midst of Kowloon Bay in the east Victoria Harbour of Hong Kong, opposite to Kwun Tong Ferry Pier. It was buried in the extension of runway of Kai Tak Airport....
(now connected to Kwun TongKwun TongKwun Tong is an area in Kwun Tong District, situated at the eastern part of the Kowloon Peninsula, and its boundary stretches from Lion Rock in the north to Lei Yue Mun in the south, and from the winding paths of Kowloon Peak in the east to the north coast of the former Kai Tak Airport runway in...
, New Kowloon) - Kellet Island (now connected to Causeway BayCauseway BayCauseway Bay is a heavily built-up area of Hong Kong, People's Republic of China, located on the Hong Kong Island, and covering parts of Wan Chai and Eastern districts. The Chinese name is also romanized as Tung Lo Wan as in Tung Lo Wan Road...
, Hong Kong IslandHong Kong IslandHong Kong Island is an island in the southern part of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. It has a population of 1,289,500 and its population density is 16,390/km², as of 2008...
) - Hoi Sham IslandHoi Sham IslandHoi Sham Island , also called To Kwa Wan Island , is a former island in Kowloon Bay off the coast at an urban and bay of To Kwa Wan of Kowloon Peninsula in Hong Kong....
(now connected to To Kwa WanTo Kwa WanTo Kwa Wan is a bay and an area of the eastern shore of Kowloon peninsula of Hong Kong. The area is part of urban Hong Kong, and is adjacent to Hok Yuen, Hung Hom, Ma Tau Wai and Ma Tau Kok...
, KowloonKowloonKowloon is an urban area in Hong Kong comprising the Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon. It is bordered by the Lei Yue Mun strait in the east, Mei Foo Sun Chuen and Stonecutter's Island in the west, Tate's Cairn and Lion Rock in the north, and Victoria Harbour in the south. It had a population of...
) - Nga Ying ChauNga Ying ChauNga Ying Chau , or Cap Island, was an island off the northeast shore of Tsing Yi Island of Hong Kong, separated by a small harbour, Mun Tsai Tong, and Tsuen Wan is at its northeast, just across the Rambler Channel. When the small harbour was reclaimed for the development of new town, the island...
(now connected to Tsing Yi Island, New TerritoriesNew TerritoriesNew Territories is one of the three main regions of Hong Kong, alongside Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula. It makes up 86.2% of Hong Kong's territory. Historically, it is the region described in The Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory...
) - Pillar Island (now connected to Kwai ChungKwai ChungKwai Chung is a town in the New Territories of Hong Kong. Together with Tsing Yi Island, it is part of the Kwai Tsing District of Hong Kong. Kwai Chung is the site of the container port. It is also part of Tsuen Wan New Town. In 2000, it had a population of 287,000...
, New Territories) - Mong ChauMong ChauMong Chau was an island off South Kwai Chung, in Rambler Channel, Hong Kong. The island was buried in the reclamation for Kwai Chung Container Port . Its position is at the border of Container Terminal 3 and Container Terminal 4....
(now connected to Kwai ChungKwai ChungKwai Chung is a town in the New Territories of Hong Kong. Together with Tsing Yi Island, it is part of the Kwai Tsing District of Hong Kong. Kwai Chung is the site of the container port. It is also part of Tsuen Wan New Town. In 2000, it had a population of 287,000...
, New Territories) - Chau TsaiChau TsaiChau Tsai was a small island off the southern shore, Nam Wan Kok, of Tsing Yi Island of Hong Kong. It was also known as Chun Fa Rock , or Chung Hue Shik on some historical documentations...
(now connected to Tsing Yi Island)
Tourism
The Victoria Harbour is world-famous for its stunning panoramicPanorama
A panorama is any wide-angle view or representation of a physical space, whether in painting, drawing, photography, film/video, or a three-dimensional model....
night view and skyline, particularly in the direction towards Hong Kong Island
Hong Kong Island
Hong Kong Island is an island in the southern part of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. It has a population of 1,289,500 and its population density is 16,390/km², as of 2008...
where the skyline of skyscrapers is superimposed over the ridges behind. Among the best places to view the Harbour is at the Peak Tower on the Victoria Peak
Victoria Peak
Victoria Peak is a mountain in Hong Kong. It is also known as Mount Austin, and locally as The Peak. The mountain is located in the western half of Hong Kong Island...
, or from the piazza at the Culture Centre
Hong Kong Cultural Centre
The Hong Kong Cultural Centre is a multipurpose performance facility in the Tsim Sha Tsui area of Hong Kong. Located at Salisbury Road, it was founded by the former Urban Council and, after 2000, is administered by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department of Hong Kong Government...
or the promenade of Tsim Sha Tsui
Tsim Sha Tsui
Tsim Sha Tsui , often abbreviated as TST, is an urbanized area in southern Kowloon, Hong Kong. The area is administratively part of the Yau Tsim Mong District. Tsim Sha Tsui East is a piece of land reclaimed from the Hung Hom Bay now east of Tsim Sha Tsui...
on the Kowloon
Kowloon
Kowloon is an urban area in Hong Kong comprising the Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon. It is bordered by the Lei Yue Mun strait in the east, Mei Foo Sun Chuen and Stonecutter's Island in the west, Tate's Cairn and Lion Rock in the north, and Victoria Harbour in the south. It had a population of...
side. Rides on the Star Ferry
Star Ferry
The Star Ferry, or The "Star" Ferry Company, is a passenger ferry service operator in Hong Kong. Its principal routes carry passengers across Victoria Harbour, between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon...
to view the harbour are also widely popular.
As the natural centre of the territory, the harbour has played host to many major public shows, including the annual fireworks displays on the second night of the Lunar New Year
Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year – often called Chinese Lunar New Year although it actually is lunisolar – is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It is an all East and South-East-Asia celebration...
. These shows are popular with tourists and locals alike, and the show is usually telecast on local television. To add to the popularity of the harbour as a sightseeing location, the government introduced a show dubbed A Symphony of Lights
A Symphony of Lights
A Symphony of Lights is a synchronised building exterior decorative light and laser multimedia display, featuring 44 buildings on both sides of the Victoria Harbour of Hong Kong accompanied by music. The technology was developed by Australian firm Laservision and cost approximately 44 million HK...
Also recently opened, was the Avenue of Stars
Avenue of Stars, Hong Kong
The Avenue of Stars , modelled on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, is located along the Victoria Harbour waterfront in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. It honours celebrities of the Hong Kong film industry.-History:...
, built along the promenade outside the New World Centre
New World Centre
The New World Centre is a shopping centre, apartment complex and office building on Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is located near the Sogo Department Store and the Hong Kong Space Museum, opposite the MTR East Tsim Sha Tsui Station. It was closed on March 31, 2010 for...
in Tsim Sha Tsui
Tsim Sha Tsui
Tsim Sha Tsui , often abbreviated as TST, is an urbanized area in southern Kowloon, Hong Kong. The area is administratively part of the Yau Tsim Mong District. Tsim Sha Tsui East is a piece of land reclaimed from the Hung Hom Bay now east of Tsim Sha Tsui...
. Modeled on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
, it honours the most illustrious people the Hong Kong
Cinema of Hong Kong
The cinema of Hong Kong is one of the three major threads in the history of Chinese language cinema, alongside the cinema of China, and the cinema of Taiwan...
film industry has produced over the past decades.
By the end of November every year, the outer walls of buildings in the central business districts on both side of the harbours are dressed with Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
-related decorations, and replaced with Lunar New Year-related ones by January.
Port facilities
Port of Hong Kong
The Port of Hong Kong, located by the South China Sea, is a deepwater seaport dominated by trade in containerised manufactured products, and to a lesser extent raw materials and passengers. A key factor in the economic development of Hong Kong, the natural shelter and deep waters of Victoria...
, making Hong Kong amongst the world's busiest
World's busiest port
The world's busiest port is contested by several ports around the world, as there is as yet no standardised means of evaluating port performance and traffic. For the past decade, the distinction has been claimed by both the Port of Rotterdam and the Port of Singapore...
. An average of 220,000 ships visit the harbour each year, including both ocean going vessels and river vessels, for both goods and passengers. The Kwai Chung Container Terminals in the western part of the harbour is the main container handling facility, operating round the clock and handling about 62 percent of the 21,930 TEUs handled by the territory in 2004. Some 400 container liners serve Hong Kong weekly, connecting to over 500 destinations around the world.
For many years until 2004, Hong Kong handled the most containers (measured by TEU
Twenty-foot equivalent unit
The twenty-foot equivalent unit is an inexact unit of cargo capacity often used to describe the capacity of container ships and container terminals...
s), but it faces competition from the ports in nearby Shenzhen
Shenzhen
Shenzhen is a major city in the south of Southern China's Guangdong Province, situated immediately north of Hong Kong. The area became China's first—and one of the most successful—Special Economic Zones...
in recent years, with the ports in Shenzhen combined handling more containers than the Kwai Chung terminals since August 2004. Overall, the Hong Kong port has also lost out to the Port of Singapore
Port of Singapore
The Port of Singapore refers to the collective facilities and terminals that conduct maritime trade handling functions in Singapore's harbours and which handle Singapore's shipping...
in containers handled, with Singapore's port outpacing Hong Kong's since the first quarter of 2005.
Transport
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
crossing the harbour, but there are three cross-harbour tunnel
Tunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers...
s: Cross Harbour Tunnel (opened 1972), Eastern Harbour Crossing
Eastern Harbour Crossing
The Eastern Harbour Crossing, abbreviated as "EHC" , is a tunnel in Hong Kong. It is a combined road and MTR rail link under Victoria Harbour between Quarry Bay in Hong Kong Island and Cha Kwo Ling in Kowloon.- History :...
(1989), and Western Harbour Crossing
Western Harbour Crossing
The Western Harbour Crossing is a dual 3-lane immersed tube tunnel in Hong Kong. It is the third tunnel to cross Victoria Harbour, linking the newly reclaimed land in West Kowloon with Sai Ying Pun on Hong Kong Island...
(1997). They connect Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula
Kowloon Peninsula
The Kowloon Peninsula is a peninsula that forms the southern part of the main landmass in the territory of Hong Kong. The Kowloon Peninsula and the area of New Kowloon are collectively known as Kowloon....
across Victoria Harbour. The three tunnels act as important linkages between the Hong Kong Island and Kowloon.
Three MTR
MTR
Mass Transit Railway is the rapid transit railway system in Hong Kong. Originally opened in 1979, the system now includes 211.6 km of rail with 155 stations, including 86 railway stations and 69 light rail stops...
routes also have tunnels under the Harbour. They are namely:
- Tsuen Wan Line
- Tseung Kwan O Line (parallel with Eastern Harbour Crossing)
- Tung Chung Line and Airport ExpressAirport Express (MTR)The Airport Express is one of the lines of the Mass Transit Railway serving Hong Kong. It links the principal urban areas of Hong Kong to Hong Kong International Airport and the associated AsiaWorld-Expo exhibition and convention centre....
, which share the same pair of tracks in the tunnel
The Star Ferry
Star Ferry
The Star Ferry, or The "Star" Ferry Company, is a passenger ferry service operator in Hong Kong. Its principal routes carry passengers across Victoria Harbour, between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon...
has been crossing the harbour since the late 19th century. The operated ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
routes today are: Central
Central and Western District
The Central and Western District located on northern part of Hong Kong Island is one of the 18 administrative districts of Hong Kong. It had a population of 261,884 in 2001...
to Tsim Sha Tsui
Tsim Sha Tsui
Tsim Sha Tsui , often abbreviated as TST, is an urbanized area in southern Kowloon, Hong Kong. The area is administratively part of the Yau Tsim Mong District. Tsim Sha Tsui East is a piece of land reclaimed from the Hung Hom Bay now east of Tsim Sha Tsui...
and Wanchai to Tsim Sha Tsui. But, on 31 March 2011, Star Ferry has ended operations from Wan Chai/Central to Hung Hom because they were unprofitable. Some other regular ferry services also operate in the harbour.
The Hongkong and Yaumati Ferry
Hongkong and Yaumati Ferry
The Hongkong and Yaumati Ferry Company Limited , HYF, is a ferry company founded in 1897 in Hong Kong. It is commonly known as Yaumati Ferry...
Company used to operate numerous cross-harbour routes between various piers of Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. Many of the routes are now operated by First Ferry
New World First Ferry
New World First Ferry Services Limited is a ferry service company in Hong Kong. The company was established in November 1999, when it took over the 8 licensed ferry routes transferred from the Hongkong and Yaumati Ferry...
. Some of the piers no longer exist because of reclamation projects, or many of the routes became unprofitable. Currently, the company continues to operate vehicular ferry services for vehicles carrying dangerous goods that are prohibited within tunnel crossings.
For international passenger traffic and traffic to mainland China
Mainland China
Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...
and Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
, there are two ferry terminals, namely Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Terminal and Hong Kong China Ferry Terminal
Hong Kong China Ferry Terminal
Hong Kong China Ferry Terminal is a ferry terminal, located at China Hong Kong City, 33 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is one of three cross-border ferry terminals in Hong Kong....
, and a terminal for cruises, the Ocean Terminal
Ocean Terminal, Hong Kong
Ocean Terminal is a cruise terminal and shopping centre located on Canton Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong.-History:The location of Ocean Terminal was once a wharf pier on the west shore of Tsim Sha Tsui. Rebuilt and enlarged for use as a cruise terminal, it also served as a multi-story shopping...
. Another cruise terminal (Kai Tak Cruise Terminal
Kai Tak Cruise Terminal
Kai Tak cruise terminal, is a cruise ship terminal currently under construction at the site of the former Kai Tak Airport. Its completion date has been delayed to 2013 due to re-tendering. Following an international competition, Foster + Partners was invited to design the cruise terminal...
) has been proposed.
See also
- List of harbours in Hong Kong
- List of areas of Hong Kong
- Transport in Hong KongTransport in Hong KongHong Kong has a highly developed and sophisticated transport network, encompassing both public and private transport. Over 90% of the daily journeys are on public transport, making it the highest rate in the world....
- List of places named after Queen Victoria