HKSAR Government Welcomes State Council's Approval of Exemption of Requirement for Guarantee and Implementation of Temporarily Ship Nationality Registration Policies for Hong Kong and Macao Yachts Temporarily Entering and Exiting Chinese Mainland

HKSAR Government welcomes State Council's approval of exemption of requirement for guarantee and implementation of temporarily ship nationality registration policies for Hong Kong and Macao Yachts temporarily entering and exiting Chinese Mainland

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government today (May 30) welcomes the State Council's announcement of its approval of exemption of the requirement of a guarantee and implementation of temporary ship nationality registration for Hong Kong and Macao yachts when temporarily entering and exiting the Chinese Mainland through designated ports in the nine cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (the GBA), and only navigating within these cities.

Central Government Offices, Photo source: reference image

A spokesman for the Transport and Logistics Bureau said, "Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao have been committed to promoting individual yacht travel. To this end, the Marine Department, the Guangdong Maritime Safety Administration, and the Macao Marine and Water Bureau have established the tripartite Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao individual yacht travel working group, which has been actively discussing facilitation measures to advance the development of the individual yacht travel system. Under the new policy, the exemption for the requirement for a guarantee will significantly reduce the financial burden on owners of Hong Kong and Macao yacht when handling cross-border procedures. Meanwhile, the temporarily ship nationality registration allows Hong Kong and Macao yachts to obtain temporarily ship nationality certificates issued by Chinese Mainland without affecting their original ship registration, enabling individual yacht travel within the waters of the nine Chinese Mainland cities in the GBA."

The Transport and Logistics Bureau, Photo source: reference image

Meanwhile, the Marine Department is actively co-ordinating with the Guangdong Maritime Safety Administration on facilitation measures for the southbound travel for yachts from the Chinese Mainland. Details will be announced in due course once finalised.

The Marine Department, Photo source: reference image

The spokesman added that the Marine Department will continue to maintain close communication with the relevant authorities of Guangdong Province and the Macao Maritime and Water Bureau, and continuously review and refine the facilitation measures for the northbound travel of yachts from Hong Kong and southbound travel for yachts from the Chinese Mainland to foster a healthy, sustainable and competitive environment for the development of the local yacht economy.

Two incoming passengers convicted and jailed for importing of duty-not-paid cigarettes

Two incoming male passengers were each sentenced to six months' imprisonment with a fine of $2,000 by the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts today (September 7) for importing duty-not-paid cigarettes and failing to declare them to Customs officers, in contravention of the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance (DCO).

Customs officers intercepted two incoming Mainland male passengers, aged 32 and 42, at Hong Kong International Airport on September 5 and 6 respectively, seized a total of 61 816 duty-not-paid cigarettes, with an estimated market value of about $280,000 and a duty potential of about $205,000 from their personal baggage. The two passengers were subsequently arrested.

Customs welcomes the sentences. The custodial sentences have imposed a considerable deterrent effect and reflect the seriousness of the offences.

Customs reminds members of the public that under the DCO, cigarettes are dutiable goods to which the DCO applies. Any person who imports, deals with, possesses, sells or buys illicit cigarettes commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years.

Members of the public may report any suspected illicit cigarette activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).

Two incoming passengers convicted and jailed for importing of duty-not-paid cigarettes Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Two incoming passengers convicted and jailed for importing of duty-not-paid cigarettes Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases