Star Ferry captain serves harbour travellers for three decades

Every day the Star Ferry’s fleet of eight boats carry almost 60,000 people between Tsim Sha Tsui, Central and Wanchai. The boats travel a daily average of 708km between 6.30am and 11.30pm. From staff training down to the smallest screw on deck, Chan Tsu-wing, the Star Ferry coxswain, is the man in charge.

In 1984, Chan started out in the traditional blue sailor suit still worn by the Star Ferry deck hands. Almost 30 years later, he wears a crisp, white shirt with the four-stripe insignia on his shoulder, designating Captain’s rank.

As a young man in his twenties, a job with the Star Ferry suited him well. Chan loves the sea. He worked 28 days on, seven days off. Chan preferred what may seem like a gruelling roster, it gave him the freedom to regularly visit his family home in Guangzhou. “It’s a great working environment, all day long you breathe fresh, sea air,” he says.

Chan is nostalgic when he thinks back on his early days with the company. “Back then it was the main way across the harbour”, he says. Hong Kong people relied on the service, and Chan saw of hundreds of people flowing in line for ferries that departed at three-minute intervals.

Passenger numbers have plunged since the Star Ferry’s peak days. The cross harbour tunnels and MTR crossing now offer a much faster, albeit less economical, way across the water. “But the ferry is an icon”, says Chan, and he is proud to be on board.