Flying ferry brings Discovery Bay five minutes closer

JOURNEY time from Central to Discovery Bay will be cut to under 20 minutes from 25 minutes when its developer Hong Kong Resort Co (HKR) commissions a new 500-seat catamaran on the route on Monday.

With a service speed of 33 knots, Discovery Bay 1 is the most advanced ferry in Hong Kong, and the largest in the territory in terms of passenger capacity.

It is the first of three new catamarans the company has ordered from Marinteknik of Singapore at a total cost of $100 million.

Discovery Bay 1 is 42 metres long and 11.5 metres wide and can accommodate 328 passengers on the lower deck and 172 on the upper deck. Passengers will be able to disembark at both levels.

HKR director Jeremy Marriott said the new vessels were ordered because peak-hour demand was increasing due to rising population at Discovery Bay.

The Central-Discovery Bay route is one of the busiest in Hong Kong with more than 123 sailings a day, with an eight-minute frequency during the morning peak.