Discovery Bay boat owners, facing possible bankruptcy, appeal for more time to relocate
The management of Discovery Bay Marina Club on Lantau has given boat owners until December 31 to find another mooring place ahead of extensive renovation work
Boat owners facing eviction from Hong Kong’s Discovery Bay marina in less than four months have called on the management to give them more time to relocate, as some live-on-board owners say they may face bankruptcy if they cannot find a mooring place elsewhere.
The Discovery Bay Marina Club on Lantau, the city’s largest outlying island, only informed members on August 31 that their memberships and berthing permits would be terminated by December 31, as the marina will be closed for extensive renovation.
But the marina did not say what would happen after renovation, or whether any arrangements would be made for those removed.
Residents estimate some 200 boat owners, most of whom also live on board, would be affected.
With a severe shortage of mooring places across the city, they said four months was too short a time for relocation. If they cannot secure a pier or a mooring place elsewhere, their vessels lose most value, as few would want to buy them.