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 (油蔴地小輪). After restructuring the company in 1989, it became a subsidiary of Hong Kong Ferry Company Limited (香港小輪(集團)有限公司).

The company extended its business from ferry into property development and investment, shipyard, travel and hotel, with 400 staff.

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".

In 1924 Yaumati Ferry obtained the franchise license 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.

The company later became "Hong Kong and Yaumati Ferry". This included the vehicular ferry which served to transport motor vehicles across Victoria Harbour for many years prior to the opening of the Cross Harbour Tunnel in 1972. The company decided to give up the ferry licenses in...
Read More