# 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. After restructuring the company in 1989, it became a subsidiary of Hong Kong Ferry (Holdings) Company Limited (香港小輪(集團)有限公司).
Its head office is in the northern Tsing Yi.

## History

The original company was founded by a Chinese business man named Lau Tak Po in 1897 during the colonial Hong Kong era. At the time he purchased 5 wooden boats and provided services exclusively to Kowloon under the company name "Yaumati Ferry". Yaumati is the alternative transliteration of Yau Ma Tei.
Until the Ferries Ordinance of 1917, there was no regulation set by the government as to who can run a ferry service. After the Ordinance was enacted, no one can operate a ferry service without securing a licence from the government through public tender. The first companies who obtained the licence during 1919-1921 operated poorly, hence in April 1923, the government issued a call in the Gazette for a tender to operate the Yaumati ferry service. Lau Tak Po then started to recruit other Chinese Merchants to compete for the ferry licence. Eventually, Lau Tak Po together with 13 other merchants secured the licence in July 1923, and established "the Hong Kong and Yaumati Ferry Company Limited" with Lau Tak Po and Lau King Cho as the managing directors on 5 November 1923.
Hong Kong and Yaumati Ferry obtained the franchise licence for the rights to the transportation route, blocking off competition from Star Ferry company. As a result, the Yaumati Ferry company became the largest Chinese-owned company in the world at that point in time, profiting from the transportation demand of Kowloon expansion.
On 1 January 1924, Hong Kong and Yaumati Ferry commenced its ferry service. The routes included were: Victoria City/Yaumati; Victoria City/Mong Kok Tsui; Victoria City/Sham Shui Po. A fleet of 12 small Wooden hulled vessels were used. Due to warnings from the government as to the low quality of the vessels, the old fleet was eventually replaced by newly built wooden and steel ferries during the 1920s.
Subsequently, the Hong Kong and Yaumati Ferry expanded its services to include the vehicular ferry service in 1933. The service transported motor vehicles across Victoria Harbour for many years (from 1933 to 1998) prior to the opening of the Cross-Harbour Tunnel, Eastern Harbour Tunnel and Western Harbour Tunnel in 1972, 1989 and 1997. The company decided to give up the ferry licences in 1999, and these licences were transferred to the New World First Ferry on 15 January 2000.

## Ownership and control

According to official documents, Henderson Investment Ltd. is the largest shareholder of Hongkong and Yaumati Ferry's parent company Hong Kong Ferry. Henderson beneficially owning 31.33% of the share capital of the company as at 31 December 2005. Henderson chairman Dr. Lee Shau Kee and Vice Chairman Colin Lam are also directors of the company.

### End of ferry service

Although it gave up its franchised ferry licences in 2000, the company retained the Dangerous Goods Vehicular Ferry Service routes between North Point, Kwun Tong, and Mui Wo, as these vehicles are not allowed to go through any one of the three cross harbour tunnels, while Mui Wo is situated on Lantau Island.

## Fleet

HY Ferry Fleet :
| Name | Type | Seats | Builder | Year Built | Notes |
| Man Ying (1st Gen.) | Wooden single ended passenger ferry | 434 | Kwong Tak Cheong Shipyard | 1924 | Changed to diesel engine in 1947, retired 1957. |
| Man Lai (1st Gen.) | Double ended passenger ferry | 412 | Hong Kong and Whampoa Dock Co., Ltd. | 1925 | Changed to diesel engine in 1949, retired in 1966. |
| Man Yee (1st Gen.) | Double ended passenger ferry | 412 | Hong Kong and Whampoa Dock Co., Ltd. | 1925 | Changed to diesel engine in 1949, retired in 1969. |
| Man Chung (1st Gen.) | Double ended passenger ferry | 412 | Hong Kong and Whampoa Dock Co., Ltd. | 1925 | Changed to diesel engine in 1948, retired in 1969. |
| Man Shun (1st Gen.) | Double ended passenger ferry | 412 | Hong Kong and Whampoa Dock Co., Ltd. | 1925 | Changed to diesel engine in 1949, retired in 1963. |
| Man Kung (1st Gen.) | Double deck car ferry | 800 people, 22 cars | Hong Kong and Whampoa Dock Co., Ltd. | commissioned 1928, finished 1933 | Rebuilt in 1948, retired in 1973. |
| Man Kim (1st Gen.) | Double deck car ferry | 368 people, 48 cars | Hong Kong and Whampoa Dock Co., Ltd. | commissioned 1928, finished 1933 | Rebuilt in 1947, and 1971, retired in 1974. |
| Man Yeung (1st Gen.) | Double deck car ferry | 800 people, 22 cars | Hong Kong and Whampoa Dock Co., Ltd. | commissioned 1928, finished 1933 | Retired in 1973. |
| Man Gock (1st Gen.) | Double deck car Ferry | | Hong Kong and Whampoa Dock Co., Ltd. | commissioned 1928, finished 1933 | Sunk at West River (西江) during WWII |
| Man On | Double deck car ferry | | Hong Kong Shipyard | 1981 | |
| Man Lok | Double deck car ferry | | Hong Kong Shipyard | 1982 | Converted to nightclub on upper deck |
| Man Foo | Double deck car ferry | | Hong Kong Shipyard | 1982 | Converted to nightclub on upper deck |
| Man Kim | Double deck car ferry | | | 1982 | Converted to nightclub on upper deck |
| Man Kai | Double deck car ferry | | Hong Kong Shipyard | 1986 | |
| Man Keung | Tugboat | | | | |
| Man Lai | Double deck ferry | 364 | Hong Kong Shipyard | 1970 | retired |
| Man Wo | Double deck ferry | 532 | Hong Kong Shipyard | 1980 | retired |
| Man Hei | Double deck ferry | 436 | Choey Lee Shipyard | 1981 | retired |
| Xin Fa | Triple deck ferry | 1298 | Hong Kong Shipyard | 1981 | ex-Man Fat; sold to NWFF |
| Xin Ying | Double deck ferry | 673 - now 604 | Hong Kong Shipyard | 1982 | ex-Man Ying; sold to NWFF |
| Xin Zhong | Double deck ferry | 676 | Hong Kong Shipyard | 1982 | ex-Man Chung; sold to NWFF |
| Xin Xing | Triple deck ferry | 1298 | Hong Kong Shipyard | 1981 | ex-Man Hing; sold to NWFF |
| Man Heen | Double deck ferry | 671 - now 650 | Hong Kong Shipyard | 1982 | |
| Xin Jie | Double deck ferry | 671 - now 666 | Hong Kong Shipyard | 1983 | ex-Man Kit; sold to NWFF |
| Xin Chao | Triple deck ferry | 1728 | Hong Kong Shipyard | 1983 | ex-Man Chiu; sold to NWFF |
| Xin Guang | Triple deck ferry | 1505 | Hong Kong Shipyard | 1985 | ex-Man Kwong; sold to NWFF |
| Xin Fei | Triple deck ferry | 1582 | Hong Kong Shipyard | 1986 | ex-Man Fee; sold to NWFF |
| Xin Guo | Triple deck ferry | 1582 | Hong Kong Shipyard | 1988 | ex-Man Kwok; sold to NWFF |
| HKF I | Waterjet Catamaran | 433 | Kvaerner Fjellstrand Shipyard | 1993 | |
| HKF III | Type: Waterjet Catamaran | 433 | Kvaerner Fjellstrand Shipyard | 1994 | |
| Aquan One | Double hull Catamaran | 208 | Afai Shipyard | 1997 | |
| Aquan Two | Double hull Catamaran | 230 | Afai Shipyard | 1999 | |