New ferry terminal allows efficient service
By Zheng Caixiong (China Daily)
Updated: 2004-06-07 21:03

A new, more modern ferry terminal is expected to start service in the Nansha Economic and Technological Development Zone next month, furthering ties between Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta area.

From the new terminal, high-speed hovercraft will be able to reach Hong Kong's harbour in Tsim Sha Tsuiin less than an hour.

According to Yuan Rongmin, deputy general manager of Nansha Ferry Co Ltd, his firm is exploring opening ferry service in the years to come from Nanshan to Macao and Hong Kong's Chek Lap Kok International Airport and the Disney Theme Park which is now under construction on Lantau Island.

"Negotiations to open the new ferry service from Nansha are now well under way," said Yuan.

Located at the mouth of the Pearl River, the new terminal reaches a construction floor space of more than 10,700 square metres and is designed to be able to handle more than 900,000 passengers annually.

The new terminal in Guangzhou's Haizhu District is about 38 sea miles away from Hong Kong and 41 sea miles from Macao.

It is close to the newly built Nanshan International Convention and Exhibition Centre and the five-star Puzhou Hotel.

Construction commenced in October 2000,costing more than 110 million yuan (US$13.25 million).

Yuan said the terminal will have evening and night ferry launches to Hong Kong to meet the demand created by a growing number of Hong Kong tourists and investors who work in Nansha and the western part of the Pearl River Delta.

There will be at least a dozen ferries between Nanshan and Hong Kong each day.

And an ordinary single ferry ticket between Nansha and Hong Kong will be HK$100 (US$12.84), a competitive price compared with railway and bus fares, Yuan said.

A single ticket for through train service between Guangzhou and Kwoloon now requires more than HK$200 (US$25.67) while a single bus ticket costs about HK$150 (US$19.25).

The new terminal has 16 exits and entries.

"It will take no more than five minutes for passengers to complete their exit and entry procedures after they arrive in the new terminal," Yuan said.

The new terminal is also expected to improve the investment climate of Nansha Economic and Technological Development Zone and the entire Pearl River Delta, where many big-name international companies from around the world have come to set up branches and joint ventures.

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