Marine traffic control and safety measures to be implemented at 2026 Chinese New Year Fireworks Display
The Marine Department (MD) today (February 12) reminded the public that with regard to the 2026 Chinese New Year Fireworks Display to be held on February 18 (the event day), the MD will strictly enforce marine traffic control and strengthen the inspection of spectator vessels on the event day to ensure that safety requirements are met.
A Closed Area in the waters off the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai, where barges for the fireworks display are to be anchored, will be established from 2pm to about 10.30pm on the event day. A Restricted Area will be established in the Central Harbour from 7pm to about 9pm on the event day. Other than authorised vessels, no vessels will be allowed to enter these two areas. Scheduled ferry vessels with permission may continue services until 7.40pm.
Spectator vessels may stay inside the Specified Area, excluding the Restricted Area and the Closed Area, for viewing from 6pm to about 9pm (specified period) on the event day. To enhance marine safety during this major event at sea, coxswains of spectator vessels in the Specified Area during the specified period must ensure that children on board are accompanied by an adult and wear a lifejacket at all times. Coxswains must also keep a passenger and crew list on board for emergency purposes. The MD will step up vessel inspections. If any vessel fails to meet these requirements, the department will initiate prosecution.
In addition, to ensure that vessels disperse in an orderly manner, the Eastern and Western Cordon Lines of the Restricted Area will be lifted in stages after the event. The Western Cordon Line will be lifted first at about 9pm. Spectator vessels behind the Western Cordon Line and those wishing to move east must follow the instructions of officers from the MD and the Police at the scene. The Eastern Cordon Line will be lifted later, depending on traffic conditions in Victoria Harbour. It is anticipated that the Restricted Area will be lifted by about 9.15pm on the event day.
For landside crowd control, the public landing steps No. 1 to 4 at Kowloon Public Pier will be closed temporarily from 6pm to about 9pm, and the public landing steps No. 5 and 6 will be closed temporarily from 6pm to about midnight. Other public landing steps within the Restricted Area will be closed temporarily from 6.30pm to about 9pm. Buffer zones at Kowloon Public Pier, Kwun Tong Public Pier and Central Piers 9 and 10 will be established immediately after the event for the safe and orderly disembarkation of passengers.
Officers from the MD and the Police will also maintain order at major landing facilities after the event. To ensure smooth disembarkation, coxswains and crew members should remind passengers to pack their personal belongings early before the vessels arrive alongside the landing steps and assist passengers in disembarking. Coxswains and passengers should follow the instructions of the MD and the Police at the scene.
The MD and the Marine Police will also strengthen law enforcement, especially concerning life-saving appliances, speeding and overloading. Coxswains and persons-in-charge of vessels should check again and reconfirm that the operating licence, certificate of survey and third-party risk insurance are valid before setting sail, and that relevant crew members are not under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
MD Notice No. 25 of 2026 on marine traffic control and safety measures has been issued and is available for viewing on the MD's website (www.mardep.gov.hk).
Source: AI-found images
Housing Bureau releases latest quarterly Composite Waiting Time for Subsidised Rental Housing
The Housing Bureau (HB) released today (February 12) the latest quarterly Composite Waiting Time for Subsidised Rental Housing (CWT).
As at end-December 2025, the CWT for general applicants (i.e. family and elderly one-person applicants) that were housed in public rental housing (PRH) or Light Public Housing (LPH) in the past 12 months has continued to remain at 5.1 years, which is again the lowest record since the first quarter of 2018. Compared with the highest level of 6.1 years before the current-term Government took office, the CWT has been shortened by a full year.
It is noteworthy that the number of applicants housed in PRH in 2025 has maintained a high level of over 20 000 cases, nearly 6300 cases more than the newly registered general applications of 14500 cases in the same year, which has cleared up a certain amount of long-standing backlogged applications. The number of general applications allocated PRH each year has far exceeded the number of new applications registered in the same year for two consecutive years (namely 2024 and 2025), which is the first time since records became available for the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA).
Huge PRH and LPH supply has effectively shortened the PRH waiting list
In the fourth quarter of 2025, the HB has successfully arranged a total of about 8 800 general applicants to be housed in PRH or LPH, including about 3 600 newly completed PRH flats, about 3 800 recovered PRH flats, and about 1 400 LPH units. The huge housing supply has effectively shortened the PRH waiting list. Among the general applicants housed in PRH, about 70 per cent were housed in the urban district and extended urban district, while more applicants, as compared with the last quarter, were housed in flats in the New Territories (including the newly completed Choi Shek Estate in Sheung Shui and recovered PRH flats). Since the urban district and extended urban district are very popular districts among applicants, their waiting time is about two years longer than that for the New Territories, thus when their waiting time has been taken into account, the CWT has not decreased.
On the other hand, the waiting time of general applicants housed in LPH is obviously shorter, the overall CWT has managed to stay at 5.1 years as at end-December 2025. In fact, since the first LPH project began allocation in the first quarter of 2025, the waiting time of general applicants who were housed in LPH is only 3.2 years on average. This fully highlights that LPH has not only improved living conditions and the quality of life of low-income families, but has also played a key role in shortening the waiting time for PRH. As compared with subdivided units, residents who are housed in LPH can also save an average of over $50,000 in rent per year, which can be accumulated as family savings to plan for a better future.
In addition, with the HB's multipronged approach to expedite the turnover of PRH flats, the number of PRH general applicants has further decreased. As at end-December 2025, there were about 106 300 general applications for PRH, and about 81 500 non-elderly one-person applications under the Quota and Points System. As compared with the highest level of 156400 cases and 143700 cases of general applications and non-elderly one-person applications, the application number has been reduced significantly by more than 30 per cent and over 40 per cent respectively. In addition, the number of non-elderly one-person applicants aged below 30 recorded an even sharper decline of 60 per cent over the 10-year period, from about 74 500 to about 29 500 as at end-December 2025, clearly demonstrating that the PRH waiting queue is being reduced.
Public housing allocations outpace new applications for two consecutive years
The Housing Department (HD) has conducted an analysis of the housing situation of general applicants that were housed in PRH or LPH in 2025. The results show that, following the gradual completion of new PRH projects, the significant results achieved by the HD in its enhanced effectiveness in combating tenancy abuse in recent years, coupled with the completion and occupancy of several Home Ownership Scheme projects and Green Form Subsidised Home Ownership Scheme projects by the HA, a significant number of PRH tenants vacated their PRH flats due to their purchase of subsidised sale flats. As a result, the number of applicants housed in PRH in 2025 has maintained a high level of over 20 000 cases, nearly 6300 cases more than the newly registered general applications of 14500 cases in the same year, which has cleared up a certain amount of long-standing backlogged applications. It is noteworthy that the number of general applications allocated PRH each year has far exceeded the number of new applications registered in the same year for two consecutive years, 2024 and 2025, which is the first time since records became available for the HA. This reflects the current-term Government's determination to increase the supply of public housing and to shorten the PRH waiting time, as well as the significant and sustainable effectiveness of its various policies.
The overall public housing production is reaching its peak
Looking ahead at the five years starting from 2026-27 onwards, the overall public housing production (including LPH) will reach over 195 000 units, over 80 per cent higher than when the current-term Government took office, among which, about 115 000 PRH flats will be completed during this period, reaching the peak in supply. In respect of LPH, about 9 500 units have been gradually completed in 2025, and about 20 300 and 200 units will be successively completed in 2026 and early 2027 respectively, gradually moving towards the target of completing the construction of about 30 000 units by 2027-28.
Under the current-term Government's unremitting efforts to "enhance speed, quantity, quality and efficiency" in the past three years, the back-loaded situation has been completely reversed by the public housing production. This shift has enabled faster fulfilment of the housing needs of low-income families. The target of reducing the CWT to 4.5 years by 2026-27 remains unchanged.
Source: AI-found images
