The Water and Marine Bureau (DSAMA) said in a recent statement that in order to protect the safety of vessels in Macau’s fairways, starting from tomorrow all vessels that are over 100 metres long will not be allowed to enter the fairways for six months.
According to the statement, the bureau has discussed the matter with the Guangdong authorities, and they agreed that as there has been an increasing number of large vessels entering Macau’s fairways from the Xi River area in recent years, both will impose a ban on vessels that are over 100 metres long for six months as a trial run.
The statement noted that every day, on average, there are 400 vessels entering Macau’s fairways, a quarter of which are over 80 metres long, while only 3 percent are over 100 metres long. The statement added that as there are multiple ongoing construction projects in Macau’s coastal waters, especially near Governador Nobre de Carvalho Bridge, commonly known as The Old Bridge, the traffic in Macau’s fairways has been increasingly complicated. The statement said that after the six-month trial run, the two authorities will make arrangements accordingly.
Meanwhile, the statement said that vessels that are above 60 metres long or carrying hazardous items must communicate via marine radio before entering Macau’s fairways. The statement also underlined that vessels must be at least a 0.5 nautical mile apart in the fairways.
This undated handout photo provided by the Water and Marine Bureau (DSAMA) on Sunday shows a number of large vessels sailing near Governador Nobre de Carvalho Bridge.
