From fire boats to “electric” boats

In the early days of colonial Hong Kong, there was no ferry service between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. People who needed to cross the Victoria Harbour or crew on ocean-going vessels anchored in the middle of the harbour had to rely on sculling sampans or Chinese junks. This changed in 1871 with the establishment of the Kowloon Ferry Company, the forerunner of the Star Ferry, which introduced a regular cross-harbour ferry.

Even after the Star Ferry started running, private operators continued to run their own harbour shuttles. As passenger and cargo demand rose, these operators upgraded to steam-powered vessels, dubbed “fireboats” (火船仔 fo2 syun4 zai2) in Cantonese. Subsequently, motorised boats with gasoline-powered internal combustion engines were introduced to Hong Kong. While gasoline is called hei3 jau4 (汽油), i.e. “gas oil” in other parts of the Chinese-speaking world, in Hong Kong it is known as din6 jau4 (電油, literally “electric oil”). Moreover, as motorboats were fitted with electric lights, they came to be commonly known as din6 syun4 zai2 (電船仔), “electric boats”.  

According to MBTA’s archival records, the names of several steam boat companies are inscribed on the monumental slab commemorating the reconstruction of Yau Ma Tei’s Tin Hau Temple in 1875. They have names such as “Fei Shun” (Flying Smooth) and “Fei Sing” (Flying Star), a nod to their superior speed over human-powered rowing. In the same year, the colonial government introduced a licensing system for steam boats, and by 1894, the number of licensed small motorised vessels had reached 47. In 1907, the licensing requirement was extended to motorboats as they became increasingly common. 

The rise of motorboats

Demand for cross-harbour travel rose sharply after the Kowloon Railway Station (the old Tsim Sha Tsui Terminal) was built in 1916. Motorboat companies rushed to launch their own services, leading to intense competition and chaos at the Tsim Sha Tsui Pier. In 1923, Governor Stubbs intervened to restore order by tendering three major ferry routes (Central-Yau Ma Tei, Central-Mong Kok and Central-Sham Shui Po), which were eventually awarded to the Hongkong and Yaumati Ferry Company (Yaumati Ferry), established collectively by 14 Chinese merchants.

In 1933, the government introduced a ferry franchise system, granting the Star Ferry and the Yaumati Ferry exclusive rights to operate cross-harbour ferries. From then on, motorboats took on auxiliary roles, handling early-morning runs between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, delivering newspapers at dawn, or shuttling workers to ocean-going vessels anchored in the harbour.

Motorboat shuttle services halted during World War II. After the war, as Hong Kong’s economy transformed, many fishermen switched to operating steam or motorboats which they also lived aboard, to earn a living in Victoria Harbour. These boats, which were built by local shipyards, initially had a passenger capacity limited to 20 (which was later increased to over 60 by the 1960s-1970s), and were restricted to sailing within the sheltered parts of the harbour (a Class 1 plying limit). Besides offering ordinary cross-harbour and shuttle boat services, they also frequently ferried American sailors on visiting warships ashore for rest and relaxation in places like Wan Chai. 

As small motorboats became a common form of marine transport, they gained a popular and rather strange nickname: walla‑walla. There are two stories about its origin: one suggests that it came from their loud engine noises, which to foreigners supposedly sounded like “walla-walla”. The other suggests it came from a Tsim Sha Tsui-based motorboat company named Walla-Walla, which though short-lived, managed to inject its branding into the public consciousness, making their name synonymous with motorboats. 

How did walla-wallas operate?

Before radio and telephones became common, ocean-going vessels used two methods to summon motorboats to transport workers such as stevedores, repairmen and painters aboard.  The first was to book rides with motorboat companies in advance. The other way was simple yet effective; during the day, ships would hoist a 0 signal flag (a red and yellow vertical striped pennant which indicates the number 0 under the International Code of Signals), and at night, they would display a 360 degree all-round red light. This form of shore transfer service was known in the industry as hoi1 ho4 (開河), literally “opening the river”. 

In the mid‑20th century, cross‑harbour ferries stopped running between midnight and 6 a.m., leaving walla‑wallas as the only means of travel across Victoria Harbour during those hours. There were designated booths in Wan Chai, Tsim Sha Tsui, and at Blake Pier in Central, where passengers could make bookings and board boats.

The first motorboat booths appeared in the 1960s. At first, motorboat companies simply set up tables on the pier, but some later partnered with the government to establish actual booths. Passengers heading anchored ocean-going ships had to provide a buoy number or refer to daily newspaper listings that listed ship names and mooring positions to obtain an on-the-spot pricing and departure arrangements.  

Fares were calculated based on distance and travel time. Once the boat departed, a crewman would go around with a bamboo basket to collect individual fares, a practice known as sau1 seoi2 goek3 (“collecting water money”) in Cantonese. Although walla‑wallas were not part of the franchised ferry system, their fares were still regulated by the government: A Central–Tsim Sha Tsui trip cost HK$3 in 1953, HK$6 in 1966, and HK$8 in 1974. During typhoon signals (No. 3 or above), operators were allowed to charge double fare.

Mr Kwok Kam‑tung, Honorary Life President of the Hong Kong and Kowloon Motor Boats and Tug Boats Association, was born in 1948 on a wooden sampan. His father ran a motorboat business, and Kwok followed in his footsteps at the age of 14, spending his entire working life in the maritime industry. He mainly operated “hoi ho” services that ferried workers and passengers between the shore and anchored vessels, selling single-trip tickets at ferry piers, but also providing charter and round-trip services. Each walla‑walla, which was typically operated by one captain and two crewmen, would sail alongside large ships anchored in the harbour in search of passengers. Whenever a “0” flag went up, a flurry of walla-wallas would race towards it, creating hazardous situations on the water.  

Most motorboat owners lived aboard their boats, and had to take care of both internal and external maintenance as well as any other business large or small. Mr Kwok recalls that many were sole operators. Even when they had to take their boats to a boatyard for maintenance, they often did the repairs themselves, scraping barnacles off the hull or patching small holes to save money. 

The decline and transformation of motorboats

In the 1970s, the opening of the Kwai Chung Container Terminal and the Cross‑Harbour Tunnel ended the golden era of walla‑wallas. The new terminal allowed ocean‑going vessels to dock and directly load and unload their cargo on shore, drastically reducing the need for shuttle services. Meanwhile, the tunnel sharply decreased demand for late-night cross-harbour boat rides. Some motorboat booths such as those near Lung King Street in Wan Chai stayed open until 2014, but eventually disappeared amid harbour reclamation projects. 

During the 1970s, the MBTA piloted a water taxi service, modelled after land-based taxis that could be hailed on demand. However, the Cross-Harbour Tunnel proposed a pilot scheme for a “water taxi” service, modelled after land‑based taxis that could be hailed on demand. However, the service did not survive the impact of the newly-opened Cross-Harbour Tunnel and soon disappeared. 

According to Mr Kwok, most large vessels today can dock along the quay, and many of the old walla‑walla operators have retired. Since these small motorboats were restricted to Victoria Harbour, some owners began to acquire larger passenger vessels that could navigate throughout Hong Kong waters. In 1995, the government lifted navigation-zone restrictions, allowing all closed-deck vessels to travel freely across territorial waters, and abolished the walla‑walla licence category, pushing these once‑familiar boats off the stage of history.

Yet many of the former motorboat companies did not disappear. Instead, they diversified into other maritime businesses, including yacht services, government charter operations, and passenger transport. The vessels themselves have evolved from small wooden boats into larger and safer modern fibreglass watercraft. Some operators even won tenders for licensed kaito routes or entered partnerships to operate ferry services, carrying their maritime legacy forward in a new guise. 

For both visitors and locals, Hong Kong’s harbour often conjures images of fishing boats and junks that symbolise the city’s roots as a fishing village. The Hong Kong Tourism Board even adopted a classic junk, Dukling, as an icon of the city’s harbour.  Yet in real life, the harbour is filled with working boats, tugboats, motorboats, crewed by all sorts of professionals who make a living at sea. Though parts of the maritime industry like walla-wallas have faded away or transformed, the expertise and labour they represent remain part of the rhythm that sustains this harbour city.

References:

Special thanks to Mr. Kwok Kam-tung, Honorary Life President of the Hong Kong and Kowloon Motor Boats and Tug Boats Association.

Hong Kong & Kowloon Motor Boats & Tug Boats Association, “60th Anniversary Diamond Jubilee Commemorative Book (60週年鑽禧紀念特刊)”, 2014, Hong Kong: Hong Kong & Kowloon Motor Boats & Tug Boats Association.

This article was written by contract researcher Ng Cheuk Hang.