Much at stake from mooring subletting
- The leasing out of vessel spaces for rents much higher than the fees paid to the government calls into question not only the Marine Department’s image, but also the use of public resources and confidence in governance
The Marine Department is in hot water for allowing private yacht clubs to make huge profits by subletting vessel mooring spaces rented out by the government. The irregularities exposed by the Ombudsman have called into question the department’s management culture and have seriously undermined the government’s authority.
The watchdog has rightly criticised officials for turning a blind eye to the situation, in which four clubs have grabbed 45 per cent of the city’s 1,921 mooring spaces and leased them out at a rent much higher than the fees they paid to the government.
One case saw a space in Sai Kung sublet for HK$3,500, 16 times higher than the HK$210 charged by the department.
Worse, officials have apparently sought to legitimise subletting. Not only was there zero enforcement action between 2009 and 2013, a subsequent internal review concluded that the department actually had no sanction power, despite stipulation in the lease that the mooring was for the exclusive use of a “designated vessel”.
The department shrugged off attacks that it was condoning profiteering on public resources, saying subletting was no different from other legitimate economic activities.
The problem may not seem to be of any concern to the public. Sailing is, after all, not a pastime that everyone can afford. But in question is the use of public resources, confounded by maladministration in a distorted market.